Voll Arkitekter AS

The Chicago-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has named Mjøstårnet, a mixed-use tower in Brumunddal, Norway, as the tallest timber building in the world. Designed by Trondheim, Norway–based Voll Arkitekter, Mjøstårnet tops out at over 280 feet in height. Containing a hotel, office space, residential units, and event spaces, the structure features glue-laminated timber columns and beams, and cross-laminated timber elevator shafts, stairs, and floor slabs. "Mjøstårnet is our first building where we really exploit the tree’s properties to the fullest as construction material," the firm writes. "We think it’s exciting to see that wood construction has gained a new renaissance, considering recent experiences with the tree’s environmentally friendly impact on greenhouse gas emissions." [CTBUH]

Rendering of T3 Bayside
Courtesy 3XN Rendering of T3 Bayside

Danish architecture firm 3XN is leading the design for Hines' T3 Bayside, a 10-story cross-laminated timber structure in Toronto slated to become the tallest timber office structure in North America. [ARCHITECT]

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I started Studio Dror 17 years ago with the vision of designing without boundaries, working at the intersection of art, design and architecture. Together with my team of designers, artists, architects, researchers and communicators at Studio Dror, I have been blessed with the opportunity to create holistic design solutions for everything from a vase to a city masterplan. I’m incredibly proud of everything we’ve achieved, and grateful to all of the people who contributed to our path. Today I'm excited to share that I have joined The We Company as co-founder of its future cities initiative. I’ll be working with Di-Ann Eisnor to build a team of engineers, architects, data scientists, and biologists who will work to fuse nature, design, technology, and community in our cities in order to measurably improve the lives of citizens. I see this as a natural extension of the comprehensive approach and holistic visions we create. I am thrilled that the Studio Dror team joins The We Company’s journey to reimagine not just the future of work, but of space and how we use it, and in doing so, help our cities thrive and become more livable, more human and more inclusive. Thank you all for your continued support and I look forward to what the future will unfold! Dror

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Yesterday, New York–based Studio Dror founder Dror Benshetrit announced that he is joining WeWork parent company, the We Company, as co-founder of its future cities initiative. "I’ll be working with [former Google executive] Di-Ann Eisnor to build a team of engineers, architects, data scientists, and biologists who will work to fuse nature, design, technology, and community in our cities in order to measurably improve the lives of citizens," Benshetrit wrote on Instagram. [Studio Dror]

This week, Columbia, Md.–based BIM software company Vectorworks release its 2019 Service Pack, which includes features such as live-sync rendering allowing designers to make real-time design changes in renderings and interactive 360-degree rendered panoramas. [Vectorworks]

Researchers from RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, have developed a system to convert carbon dioxide back into its solid form as coal, a discovery that could revolutionize carbon-capture technology. Using liquid metals as a catalyst, the scientists were able to convert the greenhouse gas into carbon at room temperature, making the system scalable and cost-effective. “A side benefit of the process is that the carbon can hold electrical charge, becoming a supercapacitor, so it could potentially be used as a component in future vehicles,” said lead author Dorna Esrafilzadeh in a press release. “The process also produces synthetic fuel as a by-product, which could also have industrial applications.” [RMIT University]