Cederhusen - High Rise Housing in CLT

The zoning plan regulates height and floor levels but also describes the new district as a continuation of the stone town, a nineteenth century part of Stockholm characterized by render and brick. The developer Folkhem builds exclusively in wood, so we designed a wooden building as an interpretation of the stone town and presented the proposal at the Venice Biennale 2014. The site of the two wooden blocks is situated above highway and railway tunnels. Since the tunnel walls under the site could not support the weight of a full height concrete building, building light in wood was the answer.

Stockholm’s stone town is characterized by earth-colored rendered and brickwork facades with openings in the masonry. The facades are often decorated with classic tectonic ornaments, antique representations of early wooden structures but made of stone and stucco. In a similar way, the Cederhusen shingle facades of red and yellow cedar appear as a homogeneous brick wall with window openings. Solid wood details emphasize the dimensions, brackets and the frieze of the eaves. The exterior expression of the buildings is characterized by its relation to the surroundings and a craftsmanship-driven attention to detail, and the interior is handled in the same way. The apartment layouts relate to the classical apartments of Stockholm, with rooms in enfilade, guided views and long sight lines. The rooms and their relationships are further emphasized through the detailing of the junctions between the walls, floor and ceiling, as well as openings, which all feature custom-built oak details.

The buildings are designed with a holistic perspective, where architecture, construction and sustainability inform each other. The foundation of the building consists of floor-high concrete beams that rest freely on the walls of the tunnels. A concrete pillar deck sits on top of the beams and forms the base for the prefab CLT structure. The load-bearing walls interact with the floor slabs like a honeycomb, which makes the structure very effective in stability. Cederhusen has proven successful, both from environmental and economic perspectives: Sustainability, cost and health: -Wood is a renewable resource. -Carbon sink: 800 kg CO₂ /m³ wood. -Fewer transport and faster assembly with CLT wood units saves time and costs. -Light weight construction can fully utilize the building height allowed in zoning regulations in this project. -Work site environment is cleaner and quieter. -Scientifically proven that wooden houses improve well-being of its user, both psychologically and physically.