One of the Sweden’s largest wooden buildings
Växjö Station and City Hall
When Sweco planned the city of Växsjö’s 16,400 m2 station, which also houses the city hall, wood was the material of choice. Växjö, which profiles itself as a ‘the modern wooden city’, has invested heavily in constructing buildings and properties made of wood. And so, it was obvious that the station would follow this pattern.
Facts about the project
Client
Skanska Sverige AB
Place
Växjö, Sweden
Photographer
Felix Gerlach
Size:
16 400 m2
Wood is the material of choice
The construction has a timber frame consisting of cross-laminated timber elements and timber beam pillars. There are also a lot of wooden elements on display inside, such as the suspended ceilings, the wall coverings, floors and stairs. In the middle of the building is a large and open ‘living room’, with the wood creating a warm and welcoming feeling. This is one of the largest wooden buildings ever built in Sweden.
Certified with a gold environmental certification
Sustainability aspects permeated all planning work. The new station and city hall building is certified with the Swedish Green Building Council’s gold environmental certification (Miljöbyggnad Guld), which places high demands on materials and energy consumption. From a life cycle perspective, timber is less expensive, but it also has less climate impact than if the house had been built with a traditional concrete frame. Using timber also created a cleaner and less noisy working environment while the station was under construction.
Sweco’s assignment
Initially, Sweco’s assignment was preparing construction documents for the implementation of the project, but it gradually developed into full project planning, including building permit and various other planning documents. In collaboration with Skanska, Sweco worked with the overall design and detailed design, accessibility issues and signage, while other architectural firms have worked with the city hall’s interior and the shops in the station. The building was inaugurated in the autumn of 2021.
Read more about Sweco’s offer within transport architecture.