A new exhibition at the National Building Museum in D.C. looks at the reasons behind the current rise of wooden construction Museums with a focus on architecture often find themselves slightly out of time, focused on incredible works from the past, or inspired and educated guesses about a brighter future. But at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., a new exhibit, ?Timber City,? which examines tall-timber construction around the world, looks at the evolution and expansion of a contemporary trend, one poised to become a much more common sight in cities across the country.
?We don?t normally do current events exhibitions,? says Professor Susan Piedmont-Palladino, one of the exhibit?s curators. ?I?m fascinated with where we are in this moment. It must be akin to when architects were wrestling with reinforced concrete in the early 19th and 20th century. What?s the language of this material, and what?s its architectural expression"?
Photo: Will Pryce. Courtesy Waugh Thistleton Architects.
Murray Grove exterior, London, UK, 2009. A 9-story residential building designed by Waugh Thistleton Architects, Murray Grove was the world?s first multi-story building to have load-bearing walls, floor slabs, stairs, and elevator cores constructed entirely out of mass timber. ?Clients were afraid to make it look too odd, so they dressed it up to look more conventional,? says Susan Piedmont-Palladino. ?It?s remarkable how its built.?

?Timber Cit...