In yet another benchmark moment for the Mass Timber movement, construction will start in Sweden in 2025 on what is being called the “world’s largest wooden city.”
It will span more than 60 acres and include over 2,000 homes and 7,000 offices space and when the first phase opens in 2027, Stockholm Wood City will be the world’s largest wooden city, with “the serenity of a forest.”
So say Henning Larsen and White Arkitekter, the Scandinavian design studios that are creating the complex which they say will use more timber than any other project now in development.
“We sought to create an urban environment infused with the serenity of a forest,” the developers told the online design website Dezeen, “resulting in a dense, open space that bears the distinctively minimalistic and functional aesthetic of Scandinavian design.
“The architects innovatively incorporated natural elements into the structures – for instance, green roofs for better insulation and large windows to let in natural light, embodying our vision of a city that thrives in harmony with nature.”
The structures in Wood City will be constructed from fire-proofed mass timber, the developers said. “Engineered wood forms a protective char layer on the surface that retains much of its structural strength, contributing to a safer structure.”
Set to be built in the Stockholm neighborhood of Sickla, the new project will also include restaurants and shops as well as residential and commercial spaces.
The mass timber movement continues to gain speed around the world, with recent projects completed or under construction elsewhere in Sweden, as well as in Oregon and Toronto.
Image via Youtube – Dezeen and Henning Larsen and White Arkitekt
