one of the world’s tallest timber buildings is completed by white arkitekter

modern technology blends with tradition

designed by white arkitekter, one of the world’s tallest timber buildings at last opens its doors to the public. the ‘sara cultural centre’ rises 75 meters (246 feet) above the swedish city of skellefteå. it introduces a state-of-the-art cultural venue and hotel that positively contributes to the local community while standing as an international showcase for sustainable design and construction. the carbon-negative building is one of the world’s tallest timber towers and a new center for creativity in skellefteå.

white arkitekter completes is timber cultural center in celebration of the heritage of its site. before it’s city center was modernized, skellefteå has seen rich history of timber architecture. ‘sara cultural centre’ marks the revival of this tradition. combining traditional materials with modern technology, the project employs sustainable and efficient construction methods and aims to be carbon negative within 50 years.

image by patrick degerman

white arkitekter elevates the use of timber

the sara cultural centre marks an important milestone for white arkitekter in its efforts toward carbon neutrality or better by 2030. with timber construction forming a key cornerstone in the transition to net zero. the carbon-negative building aims to broaden possible applications and spark widespread advancements globally in the use of timber as a sustainable structural material for complex and high-rise buildings.

the high-rise hotel is built up from prefabricated 3D-modules in cross laminated timber (CLT), stacked between two elevator cores entirely made of CLT. the low-rise cultural center is built with columns and beams of glued laminated timber (GLT) and cores and shear walls in CLT. integrated structural design has eliminated the need for concrete entirely from the load bearing structure, speeding up construction and drastically reducing the building’s carbon footprint.

image by patrick degerman

a carbon negative future

white arkitekter constructs its sara cultural centre entirely of locally sourced timber. the wood is sourced from regional sustainable forests, processed in a sawmill approximately 50km from the building. the timber structure of sara cultural centre sequesters more than twice the carbon emissions caused by operational energy and embodied carbon from the production of materials, transportation, and construction on site.

the conscious design, together with a ground-breaking energy system developed by skellefteå kraft and abb, reduces the energy use of the building. solar panels on the roof produce renewable energy that, combined with the timber structure, compensate for the CO2-emissions produced by the building. the building is designed to have a lifespan of at least 100 years and will be carbon negative within 50 years.

integrated structural design has eliminated the need for concrete entirely from the load bearing structure
image by patrick degerman

robert schmitz and oskar norelius, lead architects, white arkitekter comments: ‘mass timber has emerged as one of the most sustainable solutions for building structures known today. realising a full timber structure of a complex building with mixed uses, mixed volumetry, and a high-rise of 20 storeys, sara cultural centre broadens the application of timber as a structural material and proves that timber is a viable solution for virtually any building type. we hope that this project helps others in our collective transition towards carbon neutrality.’

image by åke eson lindman
the hotel is built up from prefabricated 3D-modules in cross laminated timber (CLT)