Work on the first unencapsulated (unlined) eight-storey timber hybrid building is due to start in Dornbirn in Austria in September.

Cree GmbH says the LifeCycle Tower will demonstrate the feasibility of the system for sustainable urban design projects and provide benefits such as a 90% improvement in CO2 emissions and a 50% reduction in construction time.

The LifeCycle Tower will be built largely of timber – “but only in places where this makes sense”, said the company. “This means the amount of timber used makdes the most efficient use of resources while achieving maximum functionality.”