The tallest wooden building in the world. Todai-ji is the largest wooden structure in the world. Sutyagin House, Arkhangelsk, Russia
What amazing architectural structures do not exist in the world! Some of them are simply amazing. One can safely attribute to these a skyscraper, about which we will talk in our article, it is a building, 280 feet high, which was given the name Mjøstårnet. It is located in Norway, and is made entirely of wood.
Few people know, but around the world, about 40% of carbon dioxide emissions are produced by architectural buildings. And these indicators significantly weaken environmentally friendly buildings with the so-called zero energy consumption.
This idea was the basis for the construction of the Mjøstårnet skyscraper, which just the other day was officially presented to the public.
The building became the tallest frame structure in the world. After all, it reaches a height of 280 feet - that's 85 meters, 18 floors! Mjøstårnet includes restaurants, a presentable hotel, an office center, private apartments and even a huge rooftop pool.
By the way, the Australian tower 25 King was the previous record holder - this wooden structure reached a height of 45 meters.
The woodworking company behind the project, Moelven, is convinced that the use of sustainable materials in construction is long overdue. From them you can build entire cities! This will have the best effect on environment because wood retains CO 2 throughout its life cycle.
Construction specifics
Brumunddal, a small town located in the central part of Norway, was chosen as the place for the construction of the skyscraper.
In production, beams made of glued laminated timber and wood were used. They have very high strength, so that they are in no way inferior to steel and carbon-intensive concrete in terms of strength. And they need much less energy for production.
But, nevertheless, wooden buildings suggest certain problems. The first is fire safety. And, since the materials are light, the house is at greater risk during natural disasters (earthquakes, for example).
However, huge stable columns were used to overcome the latter. And the developers designed the skyscraper so that it could withstand complete burnout. Many tests carried out showed that the house would not collapse.
Verdict
The developers of the building hope that Mjøstårnet will be noticed by the global construction industry and will understand how effective the use of timber frame for skyscrapers is.
There is also a goal - in the next 5 years to erect another building, the height of which would exceed 300 feet. Specialists want to make it in a specific design, to convey a special style.
Interestingly, Tokyo has already developed a project to build a 70-story wood-framed tower that reaches 1,148 feet. This is almost 350 meters - if it works out, it will look exactly on a scale.
So the main goal of the creators of Mjøstårnet was achieved - they managed to show other people and industry specialists that it is quite possible to build complex and large buildings from such atypical material. The idea is really worthwhile, and therefore it remains to be hoped that many other contractors will be inspired by it.
In American Crossville, a man without any vocational education built wooden house considered to be the highest. That man is Horace Burgess. All the work took him 11 years, the construction he built includes as many as ten floors. According to Horace, he saw God telling him that everything necessary materials will end only when the house is ready.
The area of this grandiose house is simply huge, it is equal to 3.4 thousand square meters. Moreover, the man did not need large investments. With a very economical use of materials and the use of various waste products, his costs amounted to 12 thousand dollars. From the inside, the space of the building consists of a large number of rooms, corridors, spiral staircases, balconies, a basketball area and an altar.
Photographer Tom Wetton visited Horace in 2012 to take a series of shots of this incredible structure. Seeing the building, Tom appreciated its grandiose scale and was struck by the gigantic size of the wooden house.
According to the photographer, there are 6 trees inside the house that support the entire structure, and 258,000 nails were used during construction. A house can be called a fabulous dream of any child. As soon as you see it, there will be an irresistible desire to explore every corner there.
One of the oldest Buddhist temples in Japan is Todai-ji, in the city of Nara. This temple is primarily known as the largest wooden structure in the world . In addition, within the walls of the temple is a huge bronze statue of the Buddha, which was smelted over a thousand years ago! The construction of the temple began in the middle of the 8th century. It was at this time that Buddhism became widespread in the Land of the Rising Sun. The new religion had a strong impact on the art and architecture of the country.
The construction of the Todaiji temple dates back to the middle of the 8th century, when Buddhism, which had penetrated Japan two centuries earlier, had already become the state religion and had a significant impact on the art and architecture of this country. In that era, the capital of the Japanese state was the city of Nara. Now Nara is one of the most revered holy places in the Land of the Rising Sun, where about 3 million pilgrims come annually. Here, on an area of about 525 hectares, there are several Buddhist and Shinto temples and shrines with a long history.
Todaiji Temple occupies a central position among the shrines of Nara. For a long time it was the main state shrine of the country, and the name "Todaiji" literally means "Great Oriental Temple". Todaiji Temple is widely known for its bronze sculpture of the Buddha Dainichi (Daibutsu), which is the largest Buddha statue in Japan and one of the largest in the world. It was sculpted in 749 by a Korean sculptor whom the Japanese call Kimimaro. It took 437 tons of bronze, 150 kilograms of gold, 7 tons of wax, 70 kilograms of mercury and several thousand tons of charcoal to make a giant statue.
According to legend, all the reserves of bronze in Japan were spent on casting the statue. The work was carried out for two years and was technologically extremely complex. Difficulties were caused not only by the casting process itself, but also by the installation and installation of the statue on a pedestal (taking into account the then state of the art!). After all, this phenomenal ancient structure weighs twice as much as the Statue of Liberty in New York, which was made eleven centuries later. How did the master manage to overcome all the technical obstacles? It remains a mystery, and the secret of making this unique monument of foundry art of antiquity has not been revealed to this day.
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It is known from ancient Japanese sources that the work on casting the statue of the Great Buddha was completed only after seven unsuccessful attempts. The head and neck of the Buddha were cast in one mold, while the torso and lotus throne were made in separate molds and then soldered together and gilded. The statue of the Great Buddha in Todaiji personifies "blessing, omnipotence and omnipresence." The Buddha sits with his legs tucked under him, in a peaceful pose on a throne in the form of a colossal lotus flower with 56 petals in full bloom. The lotus acts here as a symbol of spiritual chastity, purity and purity, necessary for immersion in nirvana, finding bliss achieved as a result of overcoming "passion and thirst for life." The right hand of the Buddha with an open palm is extended forward in a blessing gesture. The Buddha's hair is blue - this symbolizes his stay in the transcendental heavenly world. The hair is divided into 966 curls. On the forehead is a cone-shaped protrusion: a symbol of greatness and inaccessibility.
Panorama. Clickable 6000 px
The Great Buddha is one of the most famous landmarks in Japan. The height of the statue with a pedestal is 22 m. The height of the seated Buddha figure is 16 m. The face is 5 m long and 3 m wide. A person can freely climb through the eye sockets - their length is 1 m. The diameter of the lotus throne is more than 20 m the height of each petal is 3 m. The huge statue is hollow inside. In its depths, a complex system of wooden structures has been created that supports the entire figure. Once a year, the Great Buddha is cleaned, while removing several buckets of dust from it.
The entire surface of the lotus throne is covered with countless images of a religious and mythological nature, thousands of hieroglyphic inscriptions. Behind the back of the giant statue is a gilded wooden halo, on which there are 16 more figures of Buddha, approximately the size of a man, depicting his previous incarnations. Next to the statue are two sculptural figures of saints - bodhisattvas. Japanese tradition identifies them with the thousand-armed goddess of mercy Kannon and the goddess of happiness. Their size is half the size of the statue of the Great Buddha. To the right behind the Buddha figure is a wooden column with a small hole. There is a belief that a person who manages to climb through it, all sins are forgiven. Todaiji is an active temple, and a service is performed daily in front of the statue of the Great Buddha, a fire is lit and incense is smoked, monks and pilgrims read Buddhist prayers - sutras.
The hall of the Todaiji temple, which houses the Buddha sculpture, is called Daibutsuden - Hall of the Great Buddha. Once Todaiji was the main temple of the Buddhist Kegon sect, whose teachings entered Japan from China in the 8th century. The construction of the Todaiji temple began at the turn of the 20-30s of the VIII century and lasted twenty years. It was declared a national matter requiring the mobilization of all the country's resources. The temple was consecrated in 752 in the presence of the emperor and empress, the court, priests and representatives of all the provinces of Japan, as well as embassies from China and Korea. In the XII century, during the civil war, a huge temple burned down. During the fire, the Buddha's head was damaged and had to be replaced with a new one. Today you can see that the head of the Buddha is darker in color than the torso. According to other sources, the entire sculpture of the Buddha was badly damaged by fire and in the 18th century underwent a replacement of many elements, so that it cannot be considered entirely genuine.
In 1567, the temple burned down again, and the Great Buddha stood in the open for more than a hundred years. Restoration work began only in 1699, but three years later, having erected only half of the temple, the construction was abandoned again. In this form, it stood for about two hundred years and as a result completely fell apart. Construction was resumed only in 1903 and lasted ten years. By 1913, the temple was restored to its original form. Its height is 50 m, length - about 57 m, width - more than 50 m. This is the largest wooden building in the world, and for its time it was simply a miracle of building art. The walled temple can be entered through the Great South Gate - Nandaimon, with a two-tiered roof and five bays, which was rebuilt in 1199 and supported by eighteen wooden columns.
Whole trunks of gigantic trees 21 m high are used as columns. Colossal statues of fantastic Nyo guardian monsters rise on both sides of the gate. The massive entrance doors of Todaiji Temple are made in the old style of Japanese temple architecture. The monumental arch above the entrance under a hipped roof with curves characteristic of Japanese architecture gives the structure solemnity and majesty. The walls of the temple are decorated with magnificent wooden carved reliefs, lacquer painting, enamel, executed with true Japanese taste and perfection of forms.
Many ancient items are stored in the temple treasury: ancient Buddhist and traditional Japanese robes, sacred vessels, jewelry, jewelry, traditional Japanese art made of paper and silk. Through the study of records on ancient scrolls, the researchers were able to find out that the casting of the Buddha statue was completed only after seven unsuccessful attempts. The huge figure of the deity consisted of several parts, each of which was cast in a separate mold. Later, they were all soldered together and gilded. The height of the assembled figure with a pedestal was 22 meters, and without a pedestal - 16 meters. The Buddha's face is 5 meters long and 3 meters wide. An adult can easily crawl through the eye sockets of the Buddha, since their length is about a meter. The figure of the deity is actually hollow inside, and once a year the Buddha is cleaned by removing several buckets of dust from it!
Todaiji(743-752, XII, XVII and XVIII centuries;
an ensemble of wooden buildings, had a symmetrical layout modeled on the Chinese monasteries of the Tang era), Hokkedo (founded around 746-748, worship hall 1190) You can get into the Todai-ji temple through the Great South Gate with a two-tier roof and five spans. This whole structure is supported by 18 wooden columns, and on both sides of the gate there are huge statues of guardians.
The main building of the temple is considered the largest wooden structure in the world! Its length is 57 meters, and its height and width are 50 meters each! This is a real miracle of building art! On the territory of the temple, in addition to the main building, there are several more unique pagodas and smaller temples. The very territory of the temple is a deer park. Many deer roam here, which tourists feed with pleasure.
The tallest tree house is located in Crossville, Tennessee, USA, and it was built, oddly enough, by an unprofessional builder. It took Horace Burgess 11 years to build his 10-story dream home. Horace says he started building after having a vision of God, who told him that he would not run out of materials until he completed the house.
A huge wooden house with a whopping area of 10,000 square feet (3,400 square meters) cost Horace very cheaply. He spent only $12,000 thanks to the economical use of materials and the use of waste products. Inside the house are spiral staircases, an altar, a basketball court and many rooms, corridors, passages and balconies.
Photos taken by Tom Whetton on March 15, 2012. He, as an eyewitness to a giant wooden structure, says: “The house looks incredibly impressive. You can't really appreciate its size while you're standing next to it, but trust me, it's huge.
I was told that the structure was supported by six trees that were inside and that 258,000 nails were used to build it. This house is the dream of all children. When you see it, you want to immediately go in and examine it up and down.
Construction began in Norway in April on what will be the tallest wooden residential building in the world. Among Western developers, the idea of designing high-rise buildings from timber is gaining more and more popularity.
And although in our time mainly private mansions and cottages are built of wood, many examples of grandiose wooden buildings can be found in the past and present. "Home" looked at some of these prominent objects.
Treet, Bergen, Norway
The project of the tallest wooden residential building in the world (49 meters) involves the construction of a 14-storey building with 62 apartments. The entire residential complex will be made of wood, with the exception of the facade, which will be made of glass and concrete to protect it from moisture and other external factors. The building will be held on columns made of glued laminated timber a meter thick.
Although the construction of the house has just begun, more than half of the apartments in it have already been sold out.
Forte, Melbourne, Australia
The current record holder among residential buildings made of wood is Forte LCD. The height of the object, the construction of which was completed at the end of 2012, is 32 meters. Prior to this, the palm belonged to the Murray Grove house in the UK (30 meters).
Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Center, Noumea, New Caledonia, France
The project, named after the fighter for the creation of the independent state of Kanaki in New Caledonia, was implemented in 1998 by Pritzker Prize winner Renzo Piano. The complex consists of ten cone-shaped wooden buildings ranging in height from 9 to 24 meters, reflecting the building traditions of the Kanaks. The buildings are connected by transitions made of concrete, glass and steel. The pavilions are dedicated to exhibition purposes, classrooms and cafes.
Prinkipo Palace, Buyukada Island, Türkiye
The largest wooden building in Europe - "Greek Shelter" - was built by the French in 1898. It was supposed to become a hotel with a casino, but the local authorities did not approve the opening of an entertainment facility. As a result, in 1903-1964, the house housed an orphanage, after which it fell into disrepair. In 2010, the Church of Constantinople sued the object from the Turkish government and announced plans for restoration.
House of Horace Burges, Tennessee, USA
For the creation of big house on a tree by an amateur carpenter, after whom it is named, it took about 15 years. The ten-story mansion is set on an old oak tree and six smaller trees. The height of the house exceeds 30 meters, and the total area of the "apartments" is about 930 square meters. The house has 80 rooms, several spiral staircases, an altar with a bell tower (according to Horace, a divine vision pushed him to the construction site) and a basketball court.
Temple of Truth, Pattaya, Thailand
The uniqueness of this building lies not in its height (105 meters) or age, but in the fact that construction has not stopped since 1981 (at the entrance, visitors to the temple are given helmets). The Thai businessman started the project on the advice of the prophets, who insisted that while the temple was being built, he would not die. In 2000, the entrepreneur died, but his son continued his business. So that the work would not stop, he began to take fees from visitors. All the walls of the temple are covered with carvings.
St. George's Cathedral, Georgetown, Guyana
The building, 43.5 meters high, was built in 1889-1894 in honor of George the Victorious. Before the consecration of the temple in Maramures in 2003, it was considered the tallest free-standing wooden church.
Kizhi, Karelia, Russia
The architectural ensemble consists of the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord (1714), the Intercession Church (1764) and the Tent Bell Tower (1863). The main church is crowned with 22 domes and rises to 37 meters, while nails were used only in the construction of domes. In addition, the rocky ground made it possible to erect a building without a foundation. Intercession Church is heated and serves as a "winter" temple.
Sutyagin House, Arkhangelsk, Russia
The thirteen-story building, 38 meters high, has become one of the most famous squatters in the country. Businessman Nikolai Sutyagin has been building it since 1992, having forced to freeze the construction site during his imprisonment in the late 1990s. In 2008, the court declared the object illegal, demanding that only four floors be left. Sutyagin refused to comply with the decision, so the demolition was carried out at the expense of the state. In 2012, the remains of the house and the impressive size of the bath burned down.
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