C.F. Møller's winning design for a new 22-story high-rise set for construction in Västerås is nothing if not unique. The building’s elliptical shape allows for open facades facing in all directions and creates a new silhouette for the city’s skyline.
The building will be constructed as a hybrid of solid wood and concrete. Concrete is the load-bearing construction up to the 15th floor. The remaining seven stories will be framed in solid timber.
A panoramic garden on the 15th floor will act as the demarcation line between the concrete and wood construction. The garden will be a gathering place and common area for the building’s residents and will also be visible from outside the structure, creating a focal point.
Rendering courtesy C.F. Møller.
“Our ambition has been to optimize the synergies between the city, building, and urban greenery,” says Ola Jonsson, architect and associate partner, C.F. Møller, on the firm’s website.
In addition to the 15th-floor garden, urban greenery will be incorporated at the foot of the building in a new square that includes a plant wall and green areas. Additionally, the building’s façade will be covered with undressed wood that is weather-protected by the overlying balconies on each floor. These balconies can be closed and serve as winter gardens to allow for growing seasons to be extended throughout the year.
Tall, thin glass panels will connect the 169,000-sf tower’s balconies. These panels will have integrated lighting to illuminate and highlight the façade even during the night.
Rendering courtesy C.F. Møller.
Rendering courtesy C.F. Møller.
Related Stories
Multifamily Housing | Feb 2, 2015
D.C. developer sees apartment project as catalyst for modeling neighborhood after N.Y.'s popular High Line district
It’s no accident that the word “Highline” is in this project’s name. The goal is for the building to be a kind of gateway into the larger redevelopment of the surrounding neighborhood to resemble New York’s City’s trendy downtown Meatpacking District, through which runs a portion the High Line elevated park.
Multifamily Housing | Jan 31, 2015
5 intriguing trends to track in the multifamily housing game
Demand for rental apartments and condos hasn’t been this strong in years, and our experts think the multifamily sector still has legs. But you have to know what developers, tenants, and buyers are looking for to have any hope of succeeding in this fast-changing market sector.
Multifamily Housing | Jan 31, 2015
20% down?!! Survey exposes how thin renters’ wallets are
A survey of more than 25,000 adults found the renters to be more burdened by debt than homeowners and severely short of emergency savings.
Multifamily Housing | Jan 31, 2015
Production builders are still shying away from rental housing
Toll Brothers, Lennar, and Trumark are among a small group of production builders to engage in construction for rental customers.
Multifamily Housing | Jan 29, 2015
5 predictions for the multifamily sector in 2015
Brian Carlock of PwC expects more younger adults to get into the game, despite continuing affordability issues.
Multifamily Housing | Jan 27, 2015
Multifamily construction, focused on rentals, expected to slow in the coming years
New-home purchases, which recovered strongly in 2014, indicate that homeownership might finally be making a comeback.
Multifamily Housing | Jan 22, 2015
Sales of apartment buildings hit record high in 2014
Investors bet big time on demand for rental properties over homeownership in 2014, when sales of apartment buildings hit a record $110.1 billion, or nearly 15% higher than the previous year.
Modular Building | Jan 21, 2015
Chinese company 3D prints six-story multifamily building
The building components were prefabricated piece by piece using a printer that is 7 meters tall, 10 meters wide, and 40 meters long.
| Jan 19, 2015
Four Seasons tower will be Boston's tallest
On Jan. 14, 2015, developer Carpenter & Company and executives from the Four Seasons broke ground on the Four Seasons Hotel & Private Residences, which will become the tallest building in Boston at 699 feet.
Smart Buildings | Jan 7, 2015
Best practices for urban infill development: Embrace the region's character, master the pedestrian experience
If an urban building isn’t grounded in the local region’s character, it will end up feeling generic and out-of-place. To do urban infill the right way, it’s essential to slow down and pay proper attention to the context of an urban environment, writes GS&P's Joe Bucher.
