A 14-story luxury apartment block in central Bergen, Norway, will be the world's tallest timber-framed multifamily project, at 49 meters (160 feet). The current record-holder, Melbourne's Forté building, is 32 meters tall.
The Norwegian facility, called Treet or "The Tree," is being created by the Bergen and Omegn Building Society (BOB) and already has half of its 62 apartments sold. The structural system will consist of meter-thick glulam columns in a stacked modular design. When all modules are in place, the building will be covered with a glass-and-metal facade. Ole Kleppe, project manager for BOB, told Norwegian newspaper The Local that he expects the facility will have significant carbon-sequestering properties. The building's apartment modules have been designed to comply with the Passivhaus sustainability standard.
The Norway office of the Scandinavian structural engineering firm Sweco is collaborating with architect Artec. Moelven is working on the glulam and CLT structural elements, and Kodumaja will produce the building modules. In a detailed presentation at the 2014 International Wood Symposium at Vancouver, Sweco's Rune B. Abrahamsen said the project is based, in part, on prior feasibility studies for tall wood-framed structures in Kirkenes and Stavanger, Norway. He reports that the intial cost is somewhat higher than that of a steel and/or concrete structure, but the erection time is shorter. Abrahamsen also points to the longevity of the nation's iconic timber structures, such as the Hopperstad Stave Church.
Completion is expected in fall 2015.
Related Stories
| Jul 18, 2014
2014 Giants 300 Report
Building Design+Construction magazine's annual ranking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S.
| Jul 17, 2014
A new, vibrant waterfront for the capital
Plans to improve Washington D.C.'s Potomac River waterfront by Maine Ave. have been discussed for years. Finally, The Wharf has started its first phase of construction.
| Jul 17, 2014
A harmful trade-off many U.S. green buildings make
The Urban Green Council addresses a concern that many "green" buildings in the U.S. have: poor insulation.
| Jul 17, 2014
A high-rise with outdoor, vertical community space? It's possible! [slideshow]
Danish design firm C.F. Møller has developed a novel way to increase community space without compromising privacy or indoor space.
| Jul 17, 2014
How the 'pop-up' retail concept can be applied to workplace design
“Pop-up” has rapidly become one of the most pervasive design trends in recent years. It has given us pop-up shops and pop-up restaurants, but can it be applied to the professional work environment?
Sponsored | | Jul 17, 2014
A major hop forward
The construction of efficient metal buildings has helped Perrault Farms expand its hops-harvesting business.
| Jul 17, 2014
22 land questions to decide if your build site works
When you’re ready to build, land needs a serious amount of attention. Since it can singlehandedly shift your building plans, land must be investigated, questioned, and eyed from every angle. SPONSORED CONTENT
| Jul 16, 2014
Mergers and acquisitions of AE firms on track for strong year in 2014
Through the first six months of 2014, Morrissey Goodale tracked 101 sales of U.S.-based architecture and engineering firms, roughly the same amount as during the first six months of 2013.
| Jul 16, 2014
Ware Malcomb announces New Jersey office expansion
Architecture and design firm also honored for commercial real estate projects in New Jersey.
| Jul 16, 2014
Learning design fundamentals in the digital age – How to balance learning and technology
My colleague and I were once asked an insightful question by a Civil Engineering Professor that sparked an interesting conversation. He’d been told about our software by some of his students who had used it during their summer internship. SPONSORED CONTENT