World’s Largest Wooden City in Stockholm

Wooden buildings have been scaling new heights over the past few years, with towering timber skyscrapers becoming an architectural trend in countries like Norway, Switzerland, and Australia. Singapore has even claimed the title for the largest wooden structure in Asia with its 468,000-square-foot college campus that launched in May.

Recently, Atrium Ljungberg, a real estate developer, has shared its ambitious plan to construct the world’s biggest “wooden city” in Stockholm, Sweden’s capital, starting from 2025.

Dubbed as the Stockholm Wood City, the plan envisions 7,000 offices and 2,000 homes situated in the southeastern part of the city. The city will provide a bustling, cosmopolitan setting encompassing workplaces, residential areas, restaurants, and shops, as mentioned in a press release. With a vast area of 250,000 square meters (2.7 million square feet), the developer proudly refers to it as the “largest known wood-based construction project worldwide.”

The project site, Sickla, is an area already bustling with over 400 businesses and is also where Atrium Ljungberg owns a retail park, previously an industrial site. The area has been presented as a “five-minute city,” suggesting that all essential amenities, workplaces, and homes are just a short five-minute walk from each other.

Timber has been increasingly seen as an eco-friendly alternative to conventional building materials such as concrete and steel. It has been extensively used in an array of construction projects beyond single-family homes and smaller residential or commercial buildings. A mixed-use development of such scale marks a historical breakthrough for Sweden’s innovative abilities, stated Annica Ånäs, Atrium Ljungberg’s CEO.

Despite the apprehensions regarding the fire risks related to wooden buildings, supporters argue that engineered timber burns at a relatively slow, controlled rate, which makes it safer than many traditional steel structures.

Besides, timber acts as a “carbon sink,” meaning it stores the carbon dioxide absorbed from the atmosphere by trees, preventing it from being released back.

Wooden structures have also been recognized for their superior indoor air quality and considerably lower carbon emissions during construction compared to conventional buildings. A study from 2022, published in Nature, suggested that if mid-rise timber buildings could house 90% of the urban population by 2100, it could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 106 gigatons annually (the current global carbon dioxide emission is about 40 gigatons per year).

Such a drastic transformation would necessitate sustainable timber plantations to avoid deforestation. Fortunately, Sweden is well-equipped for such innovation, with nearly 70% of its land enveloped by forests.

Real estate is a significant contributor to carbon emissions, accounting for almost 40% of global emissions, as reported by McKinsey consulting firm. Atrium Ljungberg aims to set a precedent for other developers by acting as a “catalyst for innovation.”

“Our industry has a significant impact, and it is crucial for us to make a positive difference both in the short and long run,” said Ånäs.

The initial structures in Stockholm Wood City, designed by White Arkitekter and Henning Larsen, are scheduled to be completed by 2027.