Swedish firm White Arkitekter has won a competition to design a cultural centre and hotel in Skellefteå, Sweden, with its proposal for the "tallest wooden building in the Nordic countries" (+ slideshow).
Named Kulturhus i Skellefteå, the 19-storey structure will contain a series of cultural facilities at its base and 16 hotel floors above, reaching a height of 76 metres.
White Arkitekter plans to realise the building using two types of hybrid construction system, rather than an entirely timber frame. The first brings together wood and steel, while the other pairs wooden modules with concrete slabs.
Project architects Oskar Norelius and Robert Schmitz claim it will be the tallest wooden building in the Nordic countries.
"A cultural centre in Skellefteå just has to be built with wood," said Norelius, referring to the area's industrial heritage.
"The city in northern Sweden is surrounded by dense forests and has acclaimed wooden buildings and construction, ranging from age-old methods to the technology-intensive techniques of the future," he explained.
"We're paying homage to the region's rich tradition and we're hoping to collaborate with the local timber industry."
The project is the latest in a series of wooden skyscrapers being proposed in Sweden, thanks to recent developments in engineered timber technology, which are making these types of structures possible for the first time.
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