C.F. møller architects completes sweden's tallest timber building

C.F. møller architects has completed sweden’s tallest timber building. located in västerås, a city an hour away from stockholm, the kajstaden tall timber building has become a landmark for the area and a benchmark for a sustainable future: all its parts consist of cross-laminated wood, including walls, joists and balconies, as well as the lift and stairwell shafts.

all images by nikolaj jakobsen 

completed in 2019, C.F. møller has announced that the kajstaden tall timber building has welcomed its first residents. featuring beautiful views of lake mälaren, the tower, which rises to 8.5 storeys, uses high precision technology involving CNC-milled solid timber with glulam elements that result in air-tight and energy-efficient houses without other unnecessary materials in the walls. on each floor there are four flats which were constructed by four craftsmen in an average of three days. mechanical joints and screws were used, meaning that the building can be taken apart and the materials can be reused.

in recent years, C.F. møller has focused on the use of timber in construction as this method can create huge CO2 savings. the advantages include that timber is a renewable material and that a building made from it has very low energy and carbon footprints. timber’s low weight also means fewer delivers to the construction site which generate a safer, quieter and more efficient working environment during construction.

‘the building in kajstaden constitutes a new chapter in the history of construction, as it is currently sweden’s tallest solid-timber building. through research projects and our other timber projects we have focused on innovation and contributed towards developing ways of realizing high-rise buildings made of timber. industrial timber technology also provides architects with better tools for designing beautiful houses that boast a high degree of detail,’ says ola jonsson, associate partner at C.F. møller architects.

project info:

client: slättö förvaltning
size: 7,500 m²
address: västerås, sweden
year: 2016-2019
architect: C.F. møller architects
landscape: C.F. møller architects
contractor: martinsons and consto
engineer: bjerking