The Landscape of Wood Architecture in Sweden | A Brief Study

Swedish Construction Industry aims to reduce emission by introduction of wood in architecture. Though it may have promising claims on one side, the other remains hidden to many. Here’s a study to learn about both.

Wood Architecture In Sweden

The construction industry in Sweden is significantly different from the rest of the world because of its emphasis on wood architecture.

With the Swedish governmental goal of having zero net emissions of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere by 2045, a new law in the country requires a climate declaration for every new building starting in 2022. One of the better ways to reduce the climate impact is to stop relying on concrete as much as possible.

A solid alternative to it shifting to wood architecture. It is said, that just building from the latter would reduce emissions by 50 percent. The other improvements would come with less construction time, less transportation, etc.

In the last 100 years, Sweden has doubled its forest assets and has about 70 percent of the total landscape covered with forests. As a result, it is becoming easier for architects to switch to wood over concrete. About 20 percent of all new multistory buildings in Sweden use Timber, and soon it will achieve 30 percent with increased efforts and government support. But wait, there are a lot more hidden facts behind this that you must know. At every stage below, you will find something unusual or fascinating about wood architecture.

A Preview of the Construction Industry in Sweden.

Since the beginning of construction in Sweden, housing demand has shaped the industry. A projection of history translates that from 1965 to 1975, an increase in investments occurred due to housing shortages. This spike dropped again until the mid-1980s. At the beginning of the 1990s, changes in fiscal policies and economic depression led to a downfall again. Further, housing demand spiked at the beginning of the 21st century, which was disrupted again by the 2008 recession. With again an increase in demand in 2013, multi-apartment dwellings became popular.

More than 50,000 apartments were built during the year 2020. According to data, even higher construction rates of dwellings are not able to address the spurring demand for residential properties in Sweden. Due to this, the house prices are soaring each quarter. According to ECSO, there is a need for 600,000 new homes in Sweden between 2017 and 2025.

Statistic: Number of completed newly constructed residential properties in Sweden from 2009 to 2020 (in 1,000s) | Statista
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