Austrian architects are planning to construct an 84-meter-tall wooden skyscraper in Vienna's Seestadt Aspern area. The cost of the building, which will be called "HoHo," and will include a hotel, apartments, a restaurant, a wellness center and offices, is estimated at 60 million euros. The manager of the project, Caroline Palfy, said: "Wood is a perfect construction material for buildings. It was frequently used 200 years ago; it was perfect then and it still maintains this characteristic." In total, 76 percent of the building will be made from wood, and it will save approximately 2,800 tons of CO2 emissions compared to a regular concrete skyscraper – the equivalent of driving a car 40 kilometers a day for 1,300 years. However, firefighters in Vienna said that the project may not be a good idea. The city's fire department spokesman, Christian Wegner, highlighted the possible dangers of the building. "It is a very concerning situation that the executives of the project are taking a decision without consulting anyone," he said. He also stressed the critical tests that the wooden building needs to pass in order to be fire-resistant. The project is supported by the Austrian People's Party (OVP), and party spokeswoman Katrina Riedl said, "Vienna is not a city of skyscrapers, but it is a city of innovation."
