Swedish architecture firm Tham & Videgård has unveiled designs for a set of four 20-storey apartment blocks made entirely of timber for an urban regeneration scheme in Stockholm.
If they are approved and built, they would be the tallest timber buildings in the world, beating the current record-holder, the 10-storey Forte apartment block in Melbourne, built in 2012 by Lend Lease.
The buildings would be constructed entirely of Swedish solid wood, from the load bearing structure to the facade, finishes and windows.
"Through consistent use of a renewable material like wood, the result is a sustainable, well insulated and robust house structure with good potential to perform well over time, and minimize the total energy consumption," the architect said in its announcement.
The buildings would be constructed entirely of Swedish solid wood, from the load bearing structure to the facade, finishes and windows (Tham & Videgård)
The designs were prepared for specialized timber-structure developer, Folkhem, who is proposing a new mixed-use development with 240 apartments in Frihamnen, Stockholm. The Swedish capital is growing fast and the Frihamnen area, formerly an industrial harbour, is slated for redevelopment.Â
Tham & Videgård said the timber towers would make a new landmark on the quayside site.
Other architects have envisaged taller timber structures. In 2013, Denmark’s C.F. Møller Architects designed a 34-storey apartment building, and the same year US-based Skidmore, Ownings & Merrill designed a structural system for a 42-storey timber tower.
Which design manages to get built and break the 10-storey barrier remains to be seen.
