An abbreviation of Timber, Transit, and Technology, this under-construction office building in Minneapolis’s North Loop neighborhood set to open later this year was designed by Michael Green, a Vancouver-based architect and pioneer of tall timber construction. The 210,000-square-foot future home of the Hines Development company, one of the biggest such projects in the nation, is, in Green’s words, “not a reinvention of the wheel… but bringing back a very good wheel.” Built with enough wood panels for nine hockey rinks, the office will be 30 percent lighter than a similar steel structure. It also offers a unique advantage in a cold climate; unlike steel, which draws in cold from the outside, the wooden skeleton of this building will help with insulation.

A skyscraper-dense area such as Manhattan seems like an odd choice for a timber building, but the team that designed this proposed 10-story condo building in West Chelsea believe wood is a help, not a hinderance, in such a competitive market. In addition to shrinking the carbon footprint of construction, exposed wooden beams throughout the structure would convey authenticity and warmth, according to designers at SHoP Architects. The project, one of two winners of a Department of Agriculture (USDA) project to support the construction of high-tech wooden tower, gets a cut of a $3 million prize pool. The team behind the development, which includes Spiritos Properties, Arup, Icor Associates and environmental consultancy Atelier Ten, hopes to begin construction later this year.

The other winner of the USDA contest, this 12-story, mixed-use tower will be a sleek addition to the Pearl District in Portland, and the country’s tallest wood building when completed. Thomas Robinson, the tower’s designer and principal of LEVER Architecture, wants the building’s unique structure to be immediately apparent, with plans for a visible wood core and a facade decorated with hanging plants. Due to its progressive building codes and proximity to the domestic timber—local firm DR Johnson Lumber, the company suppying Framework, is the only domestic supplier of cross-laminated timber—Portland has become the epicenter for tall timber construction in the states, with a handful of completed projects scattered through the city, including the five-story Radiator Building.

The London borough of Hackney took a progressive stance by approving a “timber-first” policy for development and construction in 2012, and this sizable new mixed-use project showcases just what can be achieved when this type of building gets local supports. Set to be the world’s largest timber building by volume when it opens this summer, this 121-home development, designed by the same firm (Waugh Thistleton Architects) behind the nearby Stadthaus tower, features an array of apartments and commercial space.

Still in the developmental phase, this proposed Austrian tower would be a record-breaker if completed. Nearly three-quarters of this 275-foot-tall, 24-story tower, a capstone of an ambitious “urban lakeside” development project in Vienna, would be made of wood. Designed by Rüdiger Lainer and Partner, the project recently received approval and is set for groundbreaking this year.

Taking advantage of a recent change in Toronto zoning codes, this six-story condo building will be the city’s tallest of its type, with crews expected to break ground this spring. The 40-unit development by Quadrangle Architects, set on the site of a former gas station, will offer low-slung, loft-like units and exposed wooden beams throughout.

While it’s a contest entry that’s years away from anything resembling construction and completion, with a hypothetical finish date is 2023, this wooden skyscraper proposal has earned plenty of attention. Architecture firm CF Møller, architect Dinell Johansson and consultant Tyréns are collaborating on this 34-story concept, with a pyramidal top and a lush, plant-filled facade. It’s an ambitious, though still fanciful, addition to the conversation over the future of tall timber construction.