The wooden box house

Location: Vallastaden, Linköping
Type: Residential building
Year: 2017
Client: BoPro
Project Manager: Christian Windolf
Team: Ola Broms-Wessel, Klas Ruin, Ann Bexelius, Dajana Hercigonja Pudak, Jakob Wiklander
Framework: Moelven
Area: 1200 m2
Photo: Mikael Olsson

Vallastaden 2017 is a housing expo presenting new ideas for future housing in Linköping Sweden. With the project “The Wooden Box House”, the Swedish architecture office Spridd provides an answer to a number of challenges in today’s building industry. The request to build sound and economically sustainable dwellings in renewable materials is a global challenge. Sweden, being a country of endless forests, has the capacity and knowledge in developing techniques in multi-story buildings in wood.

Spridd’s six-story building contains compact duplex flats both on the ground level and on the top floor creating the particular appearance of a belt of generous balconies stretched all around the building. The balconies give access to compact and flexible double-sided flats and become a social meeting place for the residents. In total there are 20 apartments between 37,1m2 – 57,3 m2. With a rational system of beams and columns, the building process is fast and efficient, using the surrounding balconies both as access platforms during the construction and easy access for future maintenance of the wooden façade. The use of wood is present everywhere and provides a soft and welcoming atmosphere in both exterior and interior. In a few years time all exterior wooden surfaces will have gained a grey and matt subtle texture.

The technique to develop large-scale structures in wood has finally reached a level where it can compete with steel and concrete. The Expo Vallastaden 2017 presents a number of housing projects in wood and could possibly make a historical mark in this development.