Wood construction is common here in N. America, and can be safe and durable. Contrary to the fears often expressed by Europeans, wood construction can survive hurricanes just as well as any other type of construction as long as all levels are properly anchored to the foundation. But it can also have its downsides; much of our landscape is littered with houses slowly rotting underneath ugly plastic (vinyl) siding. While wood buildings can last as long as they are maintained, buildings that are not properly protected can require lots of expensive maintenance that reduces whatever environmental benefits they might have had. They can also be much more vulnerable to fire than brick or concrete. A properly installed permanent, fire-resistant, bug-resistant exterior like thin-brick, stucco or tile can minimize these problems. But I'm skeptical of efforts to build mid-rise buildings from wood in urban areas like London. Even if a building like that can be made safe for its occupants, with huge amounts of available fuel, it's only a matter of time before one causes catastrophic damage to its neighbors; a whole city neighborhood of such large wood-framed buildings would be a disaster waiting to happen.
 

This is a fantastic idea. Wood is endlessly renewable especially as all procurement in uk stipulates sustainably managed sources. This means replanting at least 2 trees for every one felled. It has best thermal efficiency properties of any mainstream material so is good in performance and of course minimal embodied impacts.
As to negative comments on lifespan - take a trip to lavenham and other areas with Tudor buildings made with timber and still in high demand several hundred years later!
This is a great plan - low cost and low carbon, perfect for times of austerity. Look on their website at films of 9 storey buildings in Hackney. Let's push it further!
Nice one.
 

Also wood replaces itself - harvest one tree, plant another, look after the forest and hey presto - can't see bricks doing that!
 

Wood has no where near the same life span as such materials like brick, and I can't believe your claims about thermal performance this is utterly untrue!

Lets keep cutting down the forest and calling it sustainable shall we?
 

Nice idea, do we have enough access to available wood ?