tengbom proposes rounded timber-clad tower for new tech beacon in sweden

as part of a competition beginning in may 2018, tengbom has unveiled their proposal for a new tech beacon in växsjö, sweden. commissioned by växjö city and clients castellum and visma, ‘WeXO’ will form a vital component of the city’s growing IT infrastructure and act as a physical lure for attracting businesses and startups to the area. the brief stipulated a design that focuses on the wellbeing of its users, materials and energy usage, and overall sustainability of the building.

WeXO acts as a gate to the city of jönköping as much as a symbol for innovation in the heart of sweden’s wood industry

renderings by wax visualizations and tengbom

tengbom’s proposal for WeXO aims to create a building that is future-proofed for changes and advances in requirements by its tech-savvy users. the program incorporates a fluid, social meeting place where ideas can be exchanged between large companies and entrepreneurial startups but also somewhere the public can connect with the future. the concept of wellbeing is at the heart of the design by softly cocooning its occupants in timber. green spaces, minimal energy use and sustainable material selection are also selected to create a role model for contemporary workspace architecture.

the characteristic façades are created by combining traditional wood chip with high tech glass, making WeXo an eye-catching beacon for the area

in terms of its diagram, WeXO is a sum of three interlaced parts. from the calm central entrance, the form unfurls upwards but also outwards, with a courtyard and expanses of glass inviting in daylight. a restaurant, seminar halls occupy the recreational lower levels while across in the tower, lower levels are kept open as co-working space. the tower rises to the seventh floor, on which visitors encounter the first terrace area, then continues a further ten floors up and is crowned by a large terrace. the terraced areas act as a pause in the building, for breakout meetings, informal gatherings and idea exchanges.

the buildings are placed around a plaza where the entrance to the office is found

the city of växjö has deep connections with the swedish timber industry, therefore the architects used natural, sustainable timber resources from the local area to reflect this. its ceder shingle façade tonally references the brick buildings in the vicinity, while the rounded corners of its tower soften its impression on the skyline. the proposal by tengbom aims to create a flexible, progressive workplace that also maintains an active dialogue with the area in which it will be built.

WeXo is a fluid social meeting place where ideas are exchanged but also somewhere the public can connect with the future

the WeXo site has been given a diagonal crossing, connecting the surrounding areas of arenastaden and regementsstaden

the tower rises to the seventh floor, on which visitors encounter the first terrace area, then continues a further ten floors up and is crowned by a large terrace

project info:

project name: ‘WeXO’

location: växjö, sweden

architect: tengbom

lead architects: patrik ekenhill, aron aspenström, jakob sjöberg, agnés palacios ódena

area: 20,000 m2

competition year: 2018

renderings: wax visualizations and tengbom

clients: castellum and visma

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lynne myers | designboom