Life Cycle Tower

The Life Cycle Tower is an Austrian research project for building 20 story high-rises in "timber" construction. It addresses climate change in the design and construction industry, beginning wit the choice for natural resources, specifically using wood to replace steel, concrete and other fossil fuel intensive materials.

Austria's building industry is a leader in energy efficiency, design and timber construction technology. Rhomberg Bau, an innovative Austrian construction company has initiated a cooperative effort with ARUP engineering and other timber manufacturing and research institutions to demonstrate that wood buildings can safely exceed building code height requirements with innovative structural and fire design solutions. Through a "system built" approach and an integrated process, prefabricated facade and floor panels can be manufactured and assembled up to 20 stories in height and reach a passive house or plus-energy standard.

Nabih Tahan, AIA has completed a report summarizing the opportunities for building a Life Cycle Tower in California. Harald Professner, a representative of Rhomberg Bau is on a fact finding mission through California, looking for potential partners to develop low-rise and mid-rise projects while laying the ground work to eventually build a timber high rise in the future. Both of them will present the concept and discuss the possibilities of adapting it to our building industry.

Harald Professner is currently sales director at Rhomberg Bau, responsible for initiating and developing Life Cycle Tower projects worldwide. Previously he was also sales director at RSB Formwork Technologies and Kaufmann Holzbauwerk, both dealing with timber technology. Mr. Professner received his executive MBA from the University of Lichtenstein and is an industrial timber engineer as well as a master carpenter.

10/22/10
Committee on the Environment Forum: Life Cycle Tower
Time: Noon - 1:30pm
Location: AIA East Bay Chapter Office, 1405 Clay Street, Oakland
Contact: 510/464-3600 or Andrea Powell, Intl. Assoc. AIA
Cost: None; this program open to all. Please RSVP.
1.5 CES/HSW/SD LUs

For more information: 510/464-3600