Vienna's 25-story wood skyscraper will be world's tallest

The world's tallest wooden skyscraper will soon stand in Vienna. According to the Guardian, architects from Rüdiger Lainer + Partner are working with developer Kerbler Holding GmbH on a 276-foot-tall building that will be made almost entirely (OK, precisely 76%) of wood.

The 25-story tower will cost $67 million to construct, and will include a hotel, apartments, a restaurant, wellness center, and offices. The project team expects to start construction next year.

The design team estimates that using wood will save 2,800 tons of CO₂ emissions when compared with a similar concrete structure, the equivalent of driving a car 25 miles every day for 1,300 years, according to the Guardian.

But before the project can move out of the design stage, the Building Team most demonstrate to city officials that the wood tower will meet structural and fire/life safety performance requirements. The team is working with Vienna's fire service to test its design.