Rising 11 storeys, Fyrtonet stands as Sweden’s tallest wooden office building. The landmark structure was built using 1,640 m³ of binderholz CLT BBS and 1,030 m³ of binderholz glulam, with even the staircases and lift shafts constructed entirely from solid timber. Binderholz’s b_project team managed the timber structure from concept to completion, handling structural engineering, work planning, prefabrication, rail-based delivery of all solid wood components and fasteners, and the complete timber installation.
Facts:
- Project Fyrtornet office building, part of the ‘Embassy of Sharing’
- Location Malmö, Sweden
- Completion 2024
- Client Granitor Projects AB
- Construction company Byggnadsfirman Otto Magnusson AB
- Architecture Wingårdhs
- Timber construction statics binderholz
- Material use 1,640 m³ of binderholz CLT BBS, 1,030 m³ of binderholz glulam
Sweden’s tallest office building made of wood
The solid wood project was built in the Hyllie district in the south of Malmö as part of the ‘Embassy of Sharing’ quarter development for which Granitor Projects AB was responsible. In English, ‘Fyrtornet’ means ‘lighthouse’ – a fitting name for this prestige project. The building itself houses a city library, meeting spaces and several office spaces. A red wooden facade, which is typical for Sweden, is used on the outside while exposed spruce dominates the interior.
Architecturally connecting the exterior with the interior and hidden behind a second facade, spacious terraces provide space for relaxation and exchange of ideas.
Sustainability, resource efficiency and circular-economy principles were at the heart of the project. Alongside a glass façade integrated with solar panels, the design team set out to construct the building almost entirely from solid timber. In addition to the conventional glulam post-and-beam structure combined with binderholz CLT BBS floor elements, both the lift shafts and the entire staircase were engineered and built using solid CLT BBS.
Binderholz oversaw the timber structure throughout the project, managing structural engineering, work planning, prefabrication, delivery of all solid wood components and fasteners, and the complete timber installation process.
Challenging timber construction statics and project phase
The statical challenge of this office tower lay in the irregularity of its individual floor plans. The rooms located on the ground floor (café, bakery and bistro), for instance, cover less area than the library above them. Thus, all loads created by the upper levels had to be transferred onto the recessed ground floor. The team not only had to safely transfer vertical loads, but also all horizontal loads through the solid wood construction.
To better analyse the requirements towards the building’s wind load reinforcements, a structural analysis of the building based on a wind tunnel test was conducted. These and other findings were used to create the most economical and effective solution to reinforce the building in the form of glued-laminated timber diagonals, some of which span 3 levels and an interior, reinforcing CLT BBS core including lift shafts and staircase.
The challenging timber construction statics and project work as well as works planning were completed by a Binderholz Construction Systems project team over a period of 15 months. The glulam and CLT BBS solid wood elements were produced at the two Austrian binderholz sites in Jenbach and Unternberg. In order to minimise the time needed for assembly, which took seven months, most solid wood element joints were prefabricated.
Delivery of all solid wood elements via rail
Efficient logistics played a crucial role in the successful execution of this large-scale project. The binderholz site in Hallein served as the central hub for loading and dispatching all solid timber elements by rail. By choosing rail transport over conventional truck delivery, the project reduced carbon emissions by approximately 100 tonnes. Rail logistics also provided valuable storage capacity at local train stations, allowing materials to be stored cost-effectively before being delivered to the construction site as needed. This ensured a steady supply of timber components and supported a smooth, uninterrupted installation process.
Apart from expert assembly of solid wood construction elements, much attention was paid to protecting the elements from the weather. To temporarily protect the respective parts of the building, a prefabricated roof was used to cover the lift shafts, stairwell and venitlation ducts.
Details on moisture protection and the construction site moisture management plan created by binderholz were constantly reviewed and documented during construction in collaboration with the client. The binderholz moisture management plan protects large-volume and large-area timber construction projects from direct damage as well as follow-up weather damage during construction.
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