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Hybrid systems for Swedish high-rise

Last Updated 23 June 2016, 18:38 IST

A Swedish architecture firm has won the competition to design a cultural centre and hotel in the city of Skelleftea, in northern Sweden, with its proposal for “the tallest wooden building in the Nordic countries”. The 19-storey structure will offer a series of cultural facilities at its base and have 16 hotel floors above, reaching a height of 76 metres.

Project architect Oskar Norelius believes a cultural centre in Skelleftea has to be built just with wood, as an ode to the area’s industrial heritage. Rather than designing an entirely
timber frame for the building, it is proposed to use 2 types of hybrid construction systems.

The first brings together wood and steel, while the second pairs wooden modules with concrete slabs. The project follows in the footsteps of an apartment block in Shoreditch, London — a recent hybrid structure that combines timber with steel elements and a reinforced-concrete core.

A stack of prefabricated timber modules reinforced by concrete slabs will make up the hotel tower, while the hybrid wood and steel construction for the cultural centre will allow for a flexible, open space capable of hosting different facilities. In the foyer, 21-metre-long beams will span the full length of the space without the need for supporting columns. Wooden struts placed perpendicular to the beams will be strengthened by a
network of steel trusses.

The project will make use of glue-laminated timber — a strong, engineered wood formed by gluing together layers of lumber. Structural glazing will wrap around the building to reveal its wooden interior, and a screen of wooden slats and golden aluminium will offer sun shading.

Set to be completed in 2019, the building will house the county theatre of Vasterbotten, the Anna Nordlander Museum, Skelleftea’s art gallery, and the city library. A 4-star hotel chain will occupy the upper floors and will feature a rooftop
spa.

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(Published 23 June 2016, 17:13 IST)

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