A new, forward-thinking office and warehouse on the outskirts of Gothenburg, Sweden has been completed with style and sustainability prioritised in equal measure. With environmental performance acting as the key driver for the design of one of Europe’s largest office and warehouse buildings, the architects chose to use Kebony wood, a global leader in the production of sustainable wood, for the entire exterior facades, creating a striking office building which embodies the drive for environmentally-friendly architecture and design in Europe.
Commenting on the project, Contractor from Exli AB Johann Johannson, said: “Constructing one of Europe’s largest office and warehouse buildings in solid wood has required commitment and innovation. The results are utterly unique.”
“Unlike many other projects being designed and built today, we believe in the added value that a long-lasting, sustainable design delivers. Ideas and views of how homes, offices and warehouses should be constructed have changed with time. Quick-fix construction is neither sustainable, cheap nor a particularly smart long-term solution.” Johansson continues.
The idea to construct a solid-wood office building for future tenants, Sjöklint Agenturer – a Nordic fashion agency was presented at the first design and construction meeting, and became a collaborative effort between employees and subcontractors who desired to work in an office space which they would feel proud of. The new office building had to be built using smart, environmentally-friendly and innovative materials and methods, and it was unanimously agreed that Kebony wood would be the ideal material for the large-scale timber project.
Developed in Norway, Kebony’s revolutionary technology is an environmentally friendly process which modifies sustainably sourced softwoods by heating the wood with furfuryl alcohol – an agricultural by-product. By polymerising the wood’s cell wall, the softwoods permanently take on the attributes of tropical hardwood including high durability, hardness and dimensional stability. Kebony’s environmental credentials and its natural weathered aesthetic made it the ideal material for the new office.
