With nine stories (30 meters/98 feet),[2] it was considered the second tallest timber residential building made of wood in the world at the time of its construction, after the Forte apartment complex in Melbourne, Australia.

[6] It is the first building in the world of this height to construct not only load-bearing walls and floor slabs but also stair and lift cores entirely from timber.

In comparison, the production of both concrete and steel are one-way energy intensive processes that release large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

So the case for timber was made to the client and London Borough of Hackney's planning department both in terms of the environmental consideration and potential economies to cost and programme.

According to the architects,[6] the colour scheme of the exterior façade was inspired by Gerhard Richter’s painting Les gris entre ciel et mer du nord.

Stresses are generally very low throughout the structure and at points where cross-grain pressures are high, screws have been added to reinforce the timber locally.

The impression of solidity once inside this building is evident, the interior spaces and the acoustic they give off affirm a sense of place and home.

The building was completed in 49 weeks, estimated to be a saving of five months over a notional concrete frame construction and occupied ahead of programme in January 2009.

[citation needed] It is estimated that the building would, if built in reinforced concrete, require about 120 tonnes of steel, the production of which would have generated 57,250 kg of carbon.

Timber buildings are classified as poor in terms of their acoustic performance due to the light structure as compared to reinforced concrete and masonry.

In Stadthaus an economic layering strategy of stud walls, floating floor build-ups and suspended ceilings, gave sound attenuation far in excess of building regulations (58 - 60db).

[citation needed] In a fire, a solid wall of timber benefits from the protection of a charred layer and therefore does not combust in the same way as a single stud.

In Stadthaus, five-layer cross-laminated timber panels are used to obtain a fire protection that allows the structure to retain its integrity for at least 90 minutes.