Wednesday 28 June 2023

Is it possible to build an entire city with wood? A Sweden company seems to think so.

Urban development company Atrium Ljungberg has unveiled plans to construct the world's largest wooden city in Stockholm. The construction will begin in 2025 and the first buildings are expected to be installed in 2027.

It’s an ambitious project and the company aims to redefine urban living through "sustainability, innovation and aesthetic excellence", said the company in a press release.

Sustainable urban planning

The project has used timber to address the environmental challenges faced by Swedish cities. Wood results in far less carbon emissions than steel and concrete and timber construction emits less pollutants. Timber is fireproof, which is important given the increase in forest fires due to climate change. 

Expanding more than 250,000 square metres, the city will have 7,000 office spaces and 2,000 homes in Sickla. The workplaces and houses will be spread out with restaurants and shops.

Buildings account for almost 40% of the world's CO2 emissions. And there’s been a push by the New European Bauhaus, an initiative launched by the European Commission in 2020 to connect the European Green Deal to living spaces and experiences. Old conventions and beliefs have slowed down development, said the press release.

“We are proud to introduce Stockholm Wood City. This is not only an important step for us as a company, but a historic milestone for Swedish innovation capability," says Annica Ånäs, CEO of Atrium Ljungberg. "Stockholm Wood City manifests our future. From tenants, there is a strong demand for innovative, sustainable solutions – a demand that we meet with this initiative.” 

Stockholm has a deficit in workplaces

The project has other environmental benefits as well. Atrium Ljungberg is paying a lot of emphasis on creating office spaces because Stockholm's inner city has a shortage of office spaces. The project will focus on self-produced, stored, and shared energy. 

"Our industry leaves a big mark, and it is important for us to make a positive difference in both the shorter and longer term. We want to create an environment where our customers, those who will live and work here, can participate in the development and design of the city district of the future,” says Ånäs.

In a similar manner and for similar reasons, Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) built the largest wooden building in Asia in a 43,500m square-metre facility.