Not so long ago, the future still consisted of concrete, glass, steel, and composite materials; wood played only an outsider role in modern architecture. This has changed: thanks to new manufacturing techniques and its ecological advantages, wood is experiencing a furious rebirth as a contemporary building material .

This volume explores how architects around the world work with this fundamental material. It presents a wide range of building types and ambitious urban construction projects and shows how, for example, Jürgen Mayer H. with his Metropol Parasol in Seville has changed entire districts or how the Finnish Forest Research Institute by SARC Architects and the Geometric Thermal Baths by Germán del Sol make sensitive interventions in nature.

In the tradition of the TASCHEN architecture series, this book presents young international talents alongside established masters of the trade such as Tadao Ando or Renzo Piano. It provides an insight into the Techniques, trends, and principles that shape her work with wood. This includes computer-aided wood cutting, which enables entirely new forms, as well as responsible, environmentally friendly forestry—and also the enduring charm of wood, which appeals to our senses and spirits and offers us peace with its idyllic beauty and simplicity in the hustle and bustle of modern life.