These new high-rises are made of wood episode artwork

EPISODE · May 1, 2025 · 12 MIN

These new high-rises are made of wood

from Plain English

Today's story: Mass timber is a new type of engineered wood that allows buildings to reach heights once thought impossible for timber. It’s efficient to build, environmentally friendly, and gaining popularity in cities around the world, especially in Europe. But challenges like fire safety and moisture still remain.Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/771Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/771 --Plain English helps you improve your English:Learn about the world and improve your EnglishClear, natural English at a speed you can understandNew stories every weekLearn even more at PlainEnglish.com-- Mentioned in this episode:Ready to improve your listening?Ready to listen fast? Improve your listening with the fast version of this and every episode. The full-speed version is a fresh recording and it sounds just like someone speaking to a native speaker (with no AI or computer manipulation!) You can even listen on a podcast app Sign up for a free 14-day trial at PlainEnglish.com

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These new high-rises are made of wood

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This episode is 12 minutes long.

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This episode was published on May 1, 2025.

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Today's story: Mass timber is a new type of engineered wood that allows buildings to reach heights once thought impossible for timber. It’s efficient to build, environmentally friendly, and gaining popularity in cities around the world, especially...

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