"[UK] Among the many apartment buildings in the London borough of
Hackney, the nine-story structure ... stands out, its exterior a mix
of white and gray tiles rather than the usual brick. But it’s what’s
underneath this cladding that makes the 29-unit building truly
different. From the second floor up, it is constructed entirely of
wood, making it one of the tallest wooden residential buildings in the
world."

The wood is kinda a super-plywood, up to 6" thick and 30' long.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/05/sc...-for-cross-lam
inated-timber-panels.html?_r=1&ref=science

I had a few immediate questions the article did not seem to address:

1. Insulation value. With less than 6" of solid wood, that's under an R8
insulation value. There's probably some thermal mass, but it doesn't seem
like this system would be a good option in cold climates.

2. Utilities. As with a traditional log home, where to you run the
plumbing, electrical, and other services? You would either need to build a
secondary wall on the interior to provide space for these (negating the
advantages of the system), or restrict utilities to interior walls. I
suppose you could use surface mount conduit for electrical, but that's not
a good option for plumbing.

3. The wood panels are touted as making efficient use of wood, but common
SIPS (structural insulated panels), use less wood, provide better
insulation, and offer at least some ability to route wiring (though I still
question the fire and insect resistance).

The main thing this system seems to have going for it is strength, which
I'm sure there are good situations it could be used for. But I would not
want to build an entire house with them.

Anthony