What?! Am I hearing that right?
Yes, you heard me right! Wooden you know it, Stockholm’s neighborhood of Sickla is planning to develop an entire block made entirely from wood! This new area will feature 7,000 office spaces, 2,000 homes, and a brand new high school expected to be completed by 2027. The development is designed to address Stockholm’s shortage of workplaces and reduce commute times for locals, helping to ease the already short 5-minute commute that Sickla is known for. Additionally, companies will have a unique opportunity to design their own office spaces tailored to their specific needs.
But it’s not just about workspaces. This neighborhood is also designed with the wellbeing of its people in mind. It will feature bike storage facilities, a new subway station, rooftop gardens, neighborhood beehives, and “pocket parks” filled with wildflowers to encourage biodiversity. But why choose wood? What makes it a better alternative to traditional brick houses and offices?
Why Wood? What About Fire?
Research studies show that wooden buildings offer many benefits: better air quality, reduced stress, increased productivity, and the ability to store carbon dioxide throughout their use. This is crucial, as buildings are responsible for about 40% of the world’s CO2 emissions (Fakharany). Constructing with wood also produces less noise and requires fewer heavy transports (Atrium Ljungberg).
Worried about deforestation? The Nordics have that covered. The buildings will be made from CLT (Cross-Laminated Timber), a material made by bonding wooden panels at right angles, giving it strength and stiffness comparable to steel or concrete. CLT is also easy to produce locally and sustainably in Scandinavia. In fact, 70% of Sweden is covered in woodland, and in 1903, the country became the first in the world to require compulsory reforestation. Today, Sweden actually has more forest than it did 100 years ago (Savage).
There’s just one tiny problem: Isn’t a city made of wood inviting a massive fire disaster? Project leaders assure us that the Nordics have some of the strictest fire safety regulations in the world. Plus, CLT wood has been shown to offer excellent heat protection and durability, on par with conventional building materials.
The Future?
It’s unlikely that we’ll all be living in wooden houses and working in wooden offices any time soon. However, this concept is gaining traction around the world. Singapore has recently opened a 468,000-square-foot college campus building made from timber, and in Sydney, a large timber retail and office space is currently under construction. Even U.S. cities like Seattle are exploring wooden buildings, with an eight-story wooden affordable housing block in the works.
Soon, wooden homes won’t just be for birds and fictional bear families (cough, Berenstain Bears). They might be for all of us humans, too! Wood…you believe it? Wooden it be lovely?
Okay, I’m done. 😊
References
Atrium Ljungberg. Sickla – Stockholm Wood City. 2025, Atrium Ljungberg, https://www.al.se/en/sickla/. Accessed 8 Apr. 2025.
Fakharany, Nour. “Stockholm Wood City: Construction of the World’s Largest Urban Development Project in Wood to Begin in 2025.” ArchDaily, 22 June 2023, https://www.archdaily.com/1002823/stockholm-wood-city-construction-of-the-worlds-largest-urban-construction-project-in-wood-to-begin-in-2025. Accessed 8 Apr. 2025.
Savage, Maddy. “Sweden is Building the World’s Largest City Made Entirely From Timber.” TIME, 18 Jan. 2025, https://time.com/7207873/sweden-stockholm-wood-city-sustainability/. Accessed 8 Apr. 2025.