Sweden’s Tallest Timber Building Is a Towering Feat of Sustainable Architecture

Airtight, sustainable, and quick to assemble, Sweden’s carbon-sequestering Kajstaden tower is a beacon for sustainable construction.

The Kajstaden Tall Timber Building has nine floors with an elevated ground floor and a double-height top floor. C.F. Møller Architects designed the building in collaboration with Martinsons, Bjerking and Consto AB, for client Slättö Förvaltning.

An hour outside of Stockholm, C.F. Møller Architects has crafted the tallest timber tower in Sweden. Inaugurated last February, the record-breaking Kajstaden Tall Timber Building serves not only as a landmark for the newly founded Kajstaden district of Västerås, but also as a powerful symbol of the many benefits—sustainable, structural, and otherwise—of high-rise timber structures.

The Kajstaden Tall Timber Building has nine floors with an elevated ground floor and a double-height top floor. C.F. Møller Architects designed the building in collaboration with Martinsons, Bjerking and Consto AB, for client Slättö Förvaltning.

The Kajstaden Tall Timber Building has nine floors with an elevated ground floor and a double-height top floor. C.F. Møller Architects designed the building in collaboration with Martinsons, Bjerking and Consto AB, for client Slättö Förvaltning.

Nikolaj Jakobsen

“The building in Kajstaden constitutes a new chapter in the history of construction, as it is currently Sweden’s tallest solid-timber building,” says Ola Jonsson, associate partner at C.F. Møller Architects. “Through research projects and our other timber projects we have focused on innovation and contributed towards developing ways of realizing high-rise buildings made of timber. Industrial timber technology also provides architects with better tools for designing beautiful houses that boast a high degree of detail.”

Located in the central residential neighborhood of Kajstaden near the water, the building is the ideal height for CLT construction, which ranges between three and 11 stories. Buildings taller than 11 stories require greater weight—such as concrete cores—for stabilization.

Located in the central residential neighborhood of Kajstaden near the water, the building is the ideal height for CLT construction, which ranges between three and 11 stories. Buildings taller than 11 stories require greater weight—such as concrete cores—for stabilization.

Nikolaj Jakobsen

The architectural potential of building with wood has been greatly expanded thanks to cross-laminated timber. The prefabricated solid timber panels are engineered for high levels of resistance against fire and moisture, which are common problems associated with old wooden buildings.

With over 100,000 square meters of solid timber projects in the works, C.F. Møller Architects is showing through example how solid wood is a climate-conscious alternative to concrete. Designed for extreme strength, cross-laminated timber also retains wood’s flexible and lightweight advantages that translate to faster installation times and fewer deliveries to the construction site.

Each floor of the building took four craftsmen an average of three days to put together. There are four apartments on each floor.

Each floor of the building took four craftsmen an average of three days to put together. There are four apartments on each floor.

C.F. Moller Architects

See the full story on Dwell.com: Sweden’s Tallest Timber Building Is a Towering Feat of Sustainable Architecture

Similar Posts

  • Pia Residence

    Pia residence is located in an irregular land, in el Uro, N,L. The project consists in two main volumes, each by a series of alternated courtyards. The frontal volume is single leveled with a double height element that highlights the main entrance, and it is accessed through a series of a triangular concrete prints that provides a sense of continuity through the street and the sidewalk. The volume in the back has two levels and is separated from de frontal volume by a patio that functions as an extension of the social area, kitchen and studio situated in the lower level, also provides ventilation, views and sunlight to the area. The courtyard is divided a staircase enclosed in a glass volume that links the vertical and horizontal connections of the building. The posterior patio has two garden areas that unites the laundry and service areas providing a sense of visual continuity to the area. Concrete was used as the main material of the project; as an apparent formwork on the façade as polished floors and some colored cement on details. Also important is the use of the custom steel work on windows gates, doors and stairs. The landscaping consisted on low maintenance, regional plants. Pia residence is the result of the transformation of a country house to a suburban house without losing the relation between the building and the exterior, preserving, nevertheless the privacy of the interior areas. It is a reinterpretation of the Mexican architecture of the second half of the twentieth century with a new formal character. Name of the Project: Pia Residence Location: Gated community El Refugio, El Uro, Nuevo León, México Area: 200 M2 Autor: Ar. José García Toledo Collaborators: PE. Eduardo Vásquez Velásquez Ar. Fernanda Roiz Silva ID. Andrea García Aragón ID. Luis Carlos Rodríguez González ID. Sinuhé Machuca Esquivel Ar. Krizia Nasser Ar. Christian López Photography: Ar. Francisco Martín Alvarez de la Vega / The Raws Human scales: Patricio Betteo