The age of wooden high-rises
Wood is our oldest construction material, and today it’s also the most modern and technically advanced. The reason for wood's renaissance is the construction industry’s need to become more sustainable. This is achieved through material usage, as well as more efficient and industrial construction processes.
Wood is the only renewal construction material. As forests grow, they absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) and store it in the wood throughout its life. Due to its low weight, wood can be prefabricated to a very high degree, and transported efficiently to the construction site, where only a short time is needed for assembly.
Thanks to its high quality, Swedish wood is suitable for use in large timber constructions and in different kinds of construction systems. Swedish wood is used in multi-storey housing, office buildings and in public buildings such as schools, sports arenas and road bridges. At the same time, it’s also a preferred material for single-family housing and other low-rise buildings.
Since trees grow slowly in our cold climate, Swedish wood has a fine texture and good strength properties, making it well suited for industrial construction and prefabrication. All Swedish timber comes from sustainably managed forests, where every harvested tree is replaced by several new saplings. 70 % of Sweden is covered by forest, and we take pride in the high level of protection that we provide, with 25 % of the forest area excluded from forestry. Sweden is the third largest exporter of sawn timber in the world. In Europe, we are the largest exporter of sawn softwood, as well as the second largest producer.
On these pages we have brought together some examples of modern timber used in large constructions as an inspiration to all of you who want to use a natural, renewable and sustainable material in your projects. Enjoy!