Imitating Nature, One Branch at a Time.
Schwedenhäuse, my favourite new word.
Scandinavian countries have a long history of finding creative ways to build with wooden structures. Prefabricated wooden houses have been made in Sweden as early as the 1780’s. By the 1930’s a prefabricated house could be purchased from a catalog. The style of house is still commonly referred to as a Schwedenhäuse.
Wood has always been an important part of the construction process of homes, but other materials like concrete, steel, and masonry have had a stronger advantage in the form of building codes.
In many countries, there have been long-standing limits on the maximum height of wooden structures. The same style of restriction has not been in place for steel and concrete structures. As early as 1994, Sweden removed the height restriction for wooden structures. Some countries have started to showcase the potential of wooden structures, such as Setas de Sevilla (Mushrooms of Seville) in Spain. The structure was completed in 2011. The Architect for the project was Jürgen Mayer.
Setas de Sevilla, Spain - Photo by Nathan Cohen, 2019
Building codes are changing. A recent project at the University of British Columbia is an 18-storey student resident. Cross-laminated Timber makes up 17 of the 18 floors, and wood columns are used for the structure with the exception of the concrete elevator cores. According to the University’s fact sheet on the building, the US and Canada grow the volume of wood used in the project in six minutes. Due to the use of prefabricated wooden materials, the contractor was able to install two floors per week. Traditional concrete construction progress is generally closer to 1 floor per week to allow the concrete to cure and achieve a minimum strength before the next level can be constructed.
While an 18-storey timber building is not an old fashion single family Schwedenhäuse, mass timber design and prefabricated Scandanavian structures share many properties: prefabrication. Prefabricated mass timber elements can be assembled on site much faster than traditional wooden framing. Floors, columns, and wall panels can all be manufactured offsite.
Prefabricated wooden construction techniques could offer some relief to the fast-paced demand for housing in many cities around the world. Wood is by no means a suitable material for all kinds of construction, but it does have many benefits for some kinds of construction.
Trees grow to magnificent heights in the wild. Perhaps we can learn a thing or two as cities continue to grow upwards. Oscar Wilde said “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.”
Moreover, what could be more satisfying than saying, ‘I live in a Schwedenhäuse.’
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References:
Wooden house construction in Scandinavia – a model for europe | T. Schauerte Internationales Holzbau-Forum
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