Building with timber rather than concrete or steel could be key to offsetting construction industry emissions, and with 70% of its landmass blanketed in forests, Sweden has plenty of the renewable resource at its disposal. An ambitious project is making use of that cache while positioning itself as a model of nature-infused sustainable living.
Set to cover 250,000 square meters, Stockholm Wood City will be the world’s largest city made entirely from timber. It will provide 2,000 new homes and 7,000 office spaces, as well as bike storage facilities, an expanded high school, and a new subway station. Between the urban developments, “pocket parks” populated with wildflowers will promote biodiversity — and there are even plans for neighborhood beehives, Time magazine reported.
“We can tell the story about how to build a liveable city, how to add nature into the city and build something sustainable,” Håkan Hyllengren, business development director at Atrium Ljungberg, the development firm behind the project, told the outlet. “It’s not just about wood, it’s the whole concept.”
Construction began a few months ahead of schedule in October 2024 with Kvarter 7, a car-free block in the Stockholm neighborhood of Sickla that will feature three residential buildings comprising 80 apartments. Made with fire-proofed cross-laminated timber, the city is being designed by Danish studio Henning Larsen and Swedish firm White Arkitekter. Other, local architects will be brought on as the project progresses.
Aside from creating less carbon emissions, timber has another major eco-friendly benefit: It’s recyclable. When a wooden structure comes down, the materials could be used to build furniture or burned as biofuel. Additionally, research has pointed to buildings made with natural materials like wood positively contributing to health and well-being. And, of course, it’s easy on the eyes.
“We sought to create an urban environment infused with the serenity of a forest, resulting in a dense, open space that bears the distinctively minimalistic and functional aesthetic of Scandinavian design,” representatives for Atrium Ljungberg explained to Dezeen. “The architects innovatively incorporated natural elements into the structures — for instance, green roofs for better insulation and large windows to let in natural light, embodying our vision of a city that thrives in harmony with nature.”
The “serenity” mentioned extends, as much as is possible, to the construction site itself. While working with concrete is quite noisy, building with timber is a quieter affair. It also makes for a brighter environment, with less machinery and shades of grey. “Upon entering the construction site, the atmosphere feels noticeably different from a conventional one,” Marianne Perslow, the project’s head of communication, told Wallpaper in January. “It’s remarkably quiet and calm, highlighting how the well-being benefits of wooden construction projects begin even during the building process.”
This isn’t Sweden’s first foray into large-scale wooden construction. In 1996, Vaxjo — a small, 1,000-year-old city about 260 miles southwest of Stockholm — was the first city in the world to commit to being completely fossil fuel-free. Today, most of its newer buildings are built from timber, and more than 90% of its energy is sourced from forestry by-products and other biomass, per the BBC.
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