Architect Michael Green thinks most cities don’t need high-rises taller than 30 stories. He says the sweet spot for wood buildings—and perhaps all high-rises—is 18 to 24 stories. But that didn’t stop the “timber hugger” from accepting an invitation to do a conceptual redesign—in wood—of Manhattan’s 102-story Empire State Building.
“The Empire State Building actually works in wood,” says Green, founder, in 2012, of Michael Green Architecture (MGA). “But just because we can go that tall in wood doesn’t mean we should,” adds the architect, whose specialty is exposed timber.