Latest news with #AtriumLjungberg
Newsweek
4 days ago
- Business
- Newsweek
Gigantic Wooden City Being Built in Europe Will Be 2.7M Sq Ft in Size
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A European city is setting new standards in sustainable urban development with the construction of the world's largest wooden city, covering 2.7 million square feet, in Stockholm, Sweden. The Stockholm Wood City project will use mass timber to create thousands of homes and offices, integrating environmental innovation into every aspect of city life. Newsweek contacted developer Atrium Ljungberg for more information on the story via email. Why it Matters The construction and real estate sector is responsible for nearly 37 percent of global carbon emissions, according to industry estimates. The Stockholm Wood City project aims to demonstrate how mass timber construction can dramatically reduce environmental impact while delivering comfortable, modern living and working environments. What To Know The Stockholm Wood City, spearheaded by developer Atrium Ljungberg, is being erected in Sickla, a former industrial area south of Stockholm's center. The development will combine residential, commercial, and public spaces spanning 250,000 square meters, or approximately 2.7 million square feet. The initiative, with an investment of around $1.25 billion, features 7,000 office spaces, 2,000 homes, schools, and retail outlets, all built primarily with cross-laminated timber. A rendering of the Stockholm Wood City, which will be built from Timber in Sweden. A rendering of the Stockholm Wood City, which will be built from Timber in Sweden. Atrium Ljungberg Construction is set to begin in 2025, with the first phase, including "Kvarter 7"—an 80-apartment residential block—targeted for completion by late 2025. More residences and an office block are planned by 2027. Engineered wood, specifically mass timber, is expected to cut emissions compared to standard construction materials. According to a USDA Forest Service study published in 2024, timber buildings generate "at least 81 percent lower global warming potential than concrete and 76% lower than steel" builds. Glulam components are used extensively throughout the site, from the structural frames to floor slabs and staircases. What People Are Saying Atrium Ljungberg's CEO, Annica Ånäs, told Axios in a 2023 interview: "I am convinced that we will see more such projects across the world. "I just think people need to see examples of it. Now when they do, I am sure they will be inspired". In a statement on their website, Atrium Ljunberg said: "Stockholm Wood City marks a new era for sustainable architecture and urban development. Aside from timber construction, the project entails a number of additional environmental benefits. "The focus on office space is a means of addressing the shortage of workplaces south of Stockholm's inner city, thus shortening commuting times for more people. The project's climate impact is also minimised through internally produced, stored and shared energy. Focus is on internally produced, stored and shared energy. This is achieved in part through extensive rooftop solar arrays with batteries, together with underground borehole energy storage for heating and cooling." What Happens Next The Stockholm Wood City project is on track to begin construction in 2025, fueled by Sweden's forestry resources and its tradition of timber building. Upon completion, it is expected to serve as a large-scale demonstration of low-carbon urban development.
CNBC
15-07-2025
- Business
- CNBC
Inside Europe's billion-dollar wooden city
A huge, new city is being built in Sweden, but it's not being constructed using steel or concrete — its main building material is wood. Part of the Swedish capital, Stockholm, is set to become the "world's largest wooden construction project," according to its developer Atrium Ljungberg, which will invest 12 billion Swedish krona (about $1.25 billion) into the project. Sickla — an industrial area to the south of Stockholm's center once known for manufacturing diesel engines — is being redeveloped using cross-laminated timber, with the material being used in its buildings' core, floors and walls. The new wooden homes, offices, schools and stores, will be interwoven with older structures, some of which have been converted into libraries or cinemas, and the area will extend to 250,000 square meters, or around 2.7 million square feet. Håkan Hyllengren, head of business development at Atrium Ljungberg, said Sickla aims to be a showcase for sustainable development. The construction sector produces 37% of the world's carbon emissions, making it "by far" the biggest culprit when it comes to greenhouse gases, according to the U.N. Environment Programme. "We are really in a sector where we can make a change, if we can build differently and we can run the buildings in more environmental way," Hyllengren told CNBC via video call. Doing so also contributes to Atrium Ljungberg's goal of cutting its construction emissions to almost zero by 2030, a "bold and tough" decision by the company, according to Hyllengren. Studies show that mass timber buildings produce much lower emissions than those made from steel or concrete: a 2024 study by academics from the USDA Forest Service suggested that timber buildings have global warming potential (a measure of emissions) that is at least 81% lower than concrete, while the figure for steel was 76% lower. Nearly 70% of Swedish territory is made up of forests, and the country has used timber in construction for many years. "We have a close cultural connection to the forest," said Oskar Norelius, lead architect at White Arkitekter, which is working with Atrium Ljungberg on the project. "A lot of Swedes spend time in the forest to unwind and do different activities. But it's also a very big part of the economy, not just for construction, but also for energy, for pulp, for bio-based products," Norelius told CNBC by video call. But Hyllengren said wooden buildings are "usually a single house here and there," so creating an entire city from timber is new. Norelius designed Sara Kulturhus, a 20-story building in the north of Sweden made from timber that comprises museum and gallery spaces, an event hall, a library and a 200-room Wood Hotel. The project helped people in the industry see the potential for constructing larger structures in wood, which can be perceived as being difficult because of the rules around fire risk. "We've shifted the mindset in seeing that timber is a driver for architecture rather than a restraint," Norelius said. The first part of the development, a residential area of 80 apartments named Kvarter 7, will be completed by the end of 2025, while White Arkitekter is working on designs for Sickla's first office block. The project also has planning permission for dual-use buildings, meaning that homes could become offices in future, giving the buildings a "second life," Norelius said. Around 2,000 more apartments are planned for 2027. Beyond the sustainability of building in timber, people seem to love wood. Visitors to Sara Kulturhus have been seen hugging its wooden columns, something that has the potential to happen in Sickla, Norelius said. The structure of the buildings will be visible, including pipes and ventilation equipment, which means there may be more wooden columns that people could "lean on, or touch," he said. Like other European countries, Sweden suffered a real estate crash as interest rates rose in 2023, and Hyllengren said there is a "feeling it's starting to change." Given Sickla's transport links — trains and trams run to central Stockholm and the city's subway will be extended to the development — Hyllengren said he is optimistic about the future. While a floor slab of concrete is about 20% cheaper than one made from timber, Hyllengren said building from wood is much faster than using traditional methods, meaning apartments and offices are ready to rent earlier. And the pleasing aesthetics of wood might also lead to financial benefits for the developer. "We believe what we create is something that will be attractive — and we'll get higher rental income for it," Hyllengren said.
The Guardian
25-04-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
‘It shapes the whole experience': what happens when you build a city from wood?
Although activity is high, it is surprisingly quiet inside the construction site of a high school extension in Sickla, a former industrial area in south Stockholm that is set to become part of the 'largest mass timber project in the world' according to the Swedish urban property developer Atrium Ljungberg. Just a few months remain until students enter the premises, but there is no sound of drilling or pounding against concrete walls. The scent of wood is unmistakable, and signs of the material can be spotted everywhere – from glulam (glued laminated timber) columns and beams in the building's frame to cross-laminated timber (CLT) slabs in the floors, ceilings and staircases. CLT, made by gluing together layers of planed wood into panels, offers strength and rigidity comparable to concrete but is significantly lighter and quicker to build with. 'It's a fantastic working environment – no concrete dust, no silica dust issues. It's clean and quiet,' said Niklas Häggström, the project area manager at Atrium Ljungberg, and responsible for the realisation of the entire Wood City project, when we walk around the site. In total, 25 neighbourhoods will cover 25 hectares. The first buildings are scheduled for completion in 2025, with the next phase – including 2,000 homes – planned for 2027. It is an enormous project, but with timber Atrium Ljungberg can build 1,000 sq metres a week. With concrete, it manages half that. In 2022 Atrium Ljungberg set an ambitious goal to become climate neutral by 2030. Just by choosing timber as the structural material, the company has said it reduces its climate impact by about 40%, a claim backed up by researchers at Linköping University. And that is before factoring in energy systems and reuse strategies. One goal, for example, is to reuse 20% of materials in tenant adaptations, refurbishments and new-builds. According to Angela Berg, its business area director, shifting from concrete to timber is not just a technical change – it is a mindset shift. 'It shapes the whole city experience: from the facade materials to the greenery, to how people interact with their environment. It's not about entering a building and seeing wood, it's about feeling the difference everywhere,' she said. If other companies were to follow suit, one study found that building with wood instead of concrete and steel in 80% of new buildings would help offset half of Europe's construction industry emissions. Another study found that wooden buildings continue to be climate friendly – a four-storey wooden building results in a net uptake of 150 tonnes of carbon dioxide. This is possible because the wood stores the CO2 absorbed by the growing trees. (The analysis takes into account the energy used in wood production, transport and the construction of the building.) While each building will have a different character, wood will permeate the city inside and out, said Oskar Norelius, an architect at White Arkitektur who has worked with Atrium Ljungberg on the project. 'It shouldn't be something you discover only when you walk in. The timber should be part of the experience from the street.' The hope is that the city will also improve the wellbeing of the people inside the buildings. 'Wood regulates indoor humidity, creating a naturally comfortable climate throughout the year. Beyond that, studies show that visible timber has psychological benefits – it reduces stress, helps children concentrate better, and even supports faster recovery in patients. These effects carry over into offices and homes too.' Norelius recently worked on Sara cultural centre in Skellefteå, which is the Nordic region's tallest timber building to date with 20 storeys, putting the city on the map as a global pioneer. 'While other countries often have the knowledge, they haven't implemented it at scale like Sweden has,' he said. The fact that 70% of the country is covered in woodland has supported a long tradition of building in wood. Before 1994 Swedish building codes restricted the use of wood in buildings over two storeys, mainly due to fire safety concerns. But when the country revised its building regulations, materials were no longer explicitly banned; instead buildings had to meet functional demands for fire safety, structural stability and sound insulation. Wood could now be used in multi-storey buildings if they met safety standards. It also led to the increased use and further development of engineered wood products such as CLT and glulam. In recent years, other Scandinavian countries have followed suit, including Wood City in the Jätkäsaari district of Helsinki, which consist of a series of multi-storey buildings completed in 2021, and the 18-storey Mjøstårnet in Brumunddal, Norway, which is the country's third-tallest building, finished in 2019. Other examples around the world include Gaia, a wooden campus in Singapore that opened in 2023, and an eight-storey housing block in Seattle, which opened the same year. In Sydney, Atlassian Headquarters, a wooden retail and office space, claims it will be the 'tallest commercial hybrid timber tower in the world' when completed. But despite the race to build sustainably, there have been conflicting interests between forestry, biodiversity, recreation and climate concerns in Sweden in recent years. While some argue the country should not harvest forests at all, others believe that managed forestry is beneficial for carbon capture. 'Over time, it leads to more growth and more carbon stored,' said Erik Serrano, a professor in structural mechanics at Lund University. 'If you can meet the same technical requirements of load-bearing, fire safety, moisture, acoustics, then wood has a clear advantage because it comes from a natural cycle. It's a zero-sum game in terms of carbon dioxide over its lifecycle. What's important is that we use wood for long-lived products as much as possible. If we store carbon in buildings for 100 or 200 years, we delay emissions significantly – that's a major effect.' In Sickla, Häggström stops by a window facing the Marcusplatsen square, and describes how Wood City will be self-sufficient on electricity thanks to a geothermal energy system. There are two birch trees right outside the window that have been left untouched – a seemingly mundane detail – but Häggström explains that it is part of a larger strategy. 'We had the option to remove the trees and plant new ones, but we chose to keep them – even though it cost us an extra £20,000,' he said. 'We felt the existing trees were part of the place's identity. It's not just about building sustainably – it's about creating a place people want to be in.' By building in timber and showing the reduced carbon impact, he believes pressure is put on the concrete industry to innovate. 'They see the carbon numbers, they see what's possible, and they have to respond. And that's a good thing. This project isn't just a school – it's part of pushing the whole sector forward.'
