Sara Culture Centre combines local timber tradition with modern technology, to create a new living room for the inhabitants of Skellefteå and a showcase for sustainable design. Realized with a structure entirely made of timber, the 20 storey building constitutes a significant leap for the industry in broadening the possible applications of renewable materials in construction. The culture centre houses 6 theatre stages, the city library, two art galleries and a 200-room hotel.
Local
Sweden
Sweden, Swedish Lapland, Region Västerbotten, Skellefteå Municipality
It addresses urban-rural linkages
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
No
No
Yes
2021-09-08
As a representative of an organisation
Name of the organisation(s): White Arkitekter AB Type of organisation: For-profit company First name of representative: Oskar Last name of representative: Norelius Gender: Male Nationality: Sweden Function: Architect, Partner Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Östgötagatan 100 Town: Stockholm Postal code: 11692 Country: Sweden Direct Tel:+46 72 158 30 19 E-mail:oskar.norelius@white.se Website:http://www.whitearkitekter.com
Located just below the Arctic Circle in northern Sweden, the city of Skellefteå has a long tradition of timber buildings; this was the primary inspiration behind the design for Sara Culture Center. The building houses four cultural organizations and is built entirely in wood. The building also features a new hotel, and totalling almost 30.000 sqm it was the world's first 20 storey high-rise at inauguration in september 2021. The extremely diverse programme has called for a range of innovative solutions in mass timber construction to handle spans, flexibility, acoustics and overall statics. Standing almost 80 meters tall, the hotel is built up from
premanufactured 3D-modules in cross-laminated timber, stacked between two elevator cores entirely made of CLT. The low-rise is built with columns
and beams of GLT and cores and shear walls in CLT. Integrated structural design has eliminated the need for concrete entirely from the load bearing
structure, speeding up construction and drastically reducing the carbon footprint. The use of renewable materials, high energy efficiency as well as a groundbreaking smart grid energy system combine to make the building climate positive over its lifecycle. The project has become a showcase for sustainable construction and a pioneer to turn the construction industry towards timber internationally. The Culture Centre uniquely celebrates the craft behind the creative process. Open layouts combined with generous glazing reveal the ingenuity and skill involved in set-building and exhibition installation to visitors inside the building, as well as passersby outdoors. Similarly the flexible foyers can be programmed with exhibitions and events at the entrances to attract non-traditional visitors into the centre. The glazed facades of the lower volumes have vertical timber louvers shielding from the low-standing sun while bringing wood back
to the central public spaces.
Innovation in mass timber
Renewable, local materials
Community-driven development
Climate positive LCA
Interior spaces connected to nature
Climate Positive
The main objective in terms of sustainability of Sara Culture Centre was to realize a large scale (30.000sqm), high rise (20 stories) mixed use building in timber, reducing emissions at all stages of the building’s lifespan while sequestering carbon. The building was realized without any concrete in the load bearing structure, and the building's Life Cycle Analysis (50 year life span, stages A1-A5 and B6) shows that the timber structure sequesters more than twice the emissions caused by the production of materials, transportation and construction on site. Total emissions amount to 5631ton CO2e (202kg CO2e/sqm) and total balancing to 10190 ton CO2e (366kgCO2e/sqm), making it a climate positive building. The timber structure is also local, sourced from sustainable forests located within appx 100 km radius from the building site and processed in a saw-mill appx 50 km from the site.
SGBC "Miljöbyggnad" Gold
Sara Culture Centre fulfills Swedish Certification Miljöbyggnad Gold. Key strategies were put in place at an early stage, allowing the building to exceed the initial objectives. Passive features are the compact form factor, a high performance envelope designed without cold bridges thanks to the low thermal conductivity of timber. Natural ventilation of the large foyers and theatre stages reduces the size and energy use of the technical installations. Mobile and fixed sun screens collaborate to mitigate solar heat loads while allowing for natural daylight and passive heating during the winter. The building energy system is powered by Artificial Intelligence that optimizes the building depending on occupancy and programming. Connected to the city grid, the building can share excess heat or cold through district heating/cooling with other buildings, to reduce peaks in the grid. The building's back-up power is provided by batteries instead of diesel generators. 1200 sqm of PV-panels are installed on the roofs and integrated in the top floor facade.
Overall composition
Sara Cultural Centre is composed of timber volumes of varying scale and transparency combined to give a human scale at street level with lower
volumes towards narrow streets, staggering up to the landmark 20 storey hotel facing the main square. Each part of the programme is portrayed by a
simple rational volume, adapted to the content. The composition of the individual volumes form the whole of the culture centre while reducing the
overall scale of the building The project offers a variety of interior and exterior spaces for the citizens inspiring creativity and collaboration. Public
areas are accessible from pedestrianized areas, and backstage workshops are also made visible to celebrate the craft behind the creative process and
vitalize all surrounding streets.
Facades
Local abundance of sustainable forests has influenced the building’s design and verticality. From the louvres in the façade to the massive timber
columns in the main entrance underneath the high-rise. By bringing back timber as a material in the urban fabric the building acknowledges
Skellefteå’s historic timber tradition and local timber industry. The exposed timber elements become a part of the architectural expression making them
visible and readable and trigger an interest in how the building is assembled. Exposed natural wood will age over time while the timber core
structure of the high-rise is visible through a double-skin façade reflecting the Nordic sky.
Interiors
The interior spaces are characterized by the exposed timber trusses guiding visitors through the public areas. The coherent material pallette acts as a
calm backdrop to the reused and upcycled furniture from the existing library, bringing memories and recognition to the new location.
A democratic and inclusive process
The project for a new culture centre in Skellefteå was initiated by the municipality as a key driver to make Skellefteå a more attractive region.
Citizen dialogues were held to inform both the choice of site in the city as well as the content of the building. The public was invited to vote and
comment on the proposals in the international architecture competition, and a summary of the public opinion was provided to the competition jury. All
stages of the zoning and building permit processes have been exhibited for public viewing and opinion as required by law. An exhibition featuring a
physical model and digital material has toured libraries in the county to inform citizens about the progress. The project has a broad political backing
and has been anchored with the political leadership at every milestone before moving ahead. The project is a joint venture between the
municipality and a private hotel operator to make a project of this size feasible.
Designed for inclusion
The location of the building, together with the programming of the surrounding public places and the transparent facades with many entrances,
work together to lower the threshold to enter the building and replacing the image of an austere cultural institution with an open and welcoming
building. The goal is that everyone feels invited, and at ease to enter. Located in a slope, the entire design is based on two flat and fully accessible
ground floors that can be easily reached from all sides regardless of disabilities while the internal layout is designed for easy wayfinding. In the
main entrance, at the heart of the building is a great staircase that overlooks all activities of the culture centre. This space is neutral and works
as an urban living room and can function as a "speakers' corner" for the inhabitants.
Empowering the community
As a public building, the project is aimed to enrich the community. The diverse programme with a public library, art galleries and theatres will
strengthen the cultural environment in Skellefteå. Combining these functions in one building, they will enrich eachother through collaboration
and have an even greater impact on the community. At the heart of the building lies an unprogrammed, public living room welcoming all citizens and visitors regardless of their previous interest in culture. Ensuring that the Sara Culture Centre is an arena for all citizens has been a central endeavor for the municipality, and a starting point for our design.
Supporting the local economy and city attractivity
As a public building, the project is aimed to enrich in many ways. The project has already attracted international attention, supporting the Municipality of
Skellefteå in attracting new residents and the establishment of new businesses. Most notably the city won the establishment of Europe’s largest
battery factory Northvolt, partially because of its green image, creating 3000 jobs in just a few years. Working with locally available materials, local
industries have won several of the construction procurements. A large part of the total investment has benefited local businesses, for example for
foundations, structure and technical installations. A local handcraft association has been invited to create pillows for the culture staircase and
the curtain of the main stage.
The quality of the architecture and urban design has been awarded and commended internationally on several occasions. As a physical expression of the municipality's movement towards a greener future, Skellefteå was named "One of the World's 50 greatest places" in Time Magazine 2022.
The design and implementation of the project was led by the Municipality of Skellefteå Real Estate division that acted as the client throughout the process. Through the democratic process of zoning and building permit the division for urban planning of the Municipality and the County Board of Västerbotten (Länsstyrelsen) were involved.
The project has been highlighted during the process by several national stakeholders such as Swedish Wood, Architects Sweden, The Swedish Institute and the project has been presented at events tied to the Nordic part of the New European Bauhaus. White Arkitekter were awarded the Government's Export Prize 2022, in part as recognition for the project's contribution to exporting Swedish sustainable construction.
The project is the result of an interdisciplinary approach to architecture and construction. Within a well defined process a large range of disciplines were involved in a truly cross-disciplinary manner: architects, urban planners, landscape architects, lighting designers, social sustainability specialists, environmental specialists, structural engineers, building engineers and technicians, suppliers, manufacturers and construction experts.
The team worked in a common BIM-model (Building Information Model) to collectively adress challenges met during the design phase. The added value of this process was to fade barriers between stakeholders and create an integrated project team including client, contractor and consultants fit to challenge the status-quo and by driving and implementing innovation.
1. Creating a large scale, high rise and mixed use climate positive building.
2. Developing mass timber solutions for a range of applications including.
3. Propelling the local companies to industry leadership with world leading experience from high rise contruction.
4. Enhancing the image of a region in rapid expansion, struggling to attract talent and labour for the new jobs created through the green industrial transition.
5. The project has served as a pilot in developing regulations for timber construction in other EU states (Germany, Latvia, France), enabling the development of the first 7 storey timber building in Riga (The Kimmel Quarter).
6. Solidified the municipality's engagement in timber construction, paving the way for other projects to be realized in timber and with even higher environmental ambitions.
Pursuing 100 % prefabrication
The Culture Centre is realized with a high rate of prefabrication. The columns, beams, slabs and walls are prefabricated in a local off-site factory
and simply assembled on site. Standardized floor heights and a general structural grid allows for a high level of repetition in components, increasing
precision while reducing production times and the risk for errors. Smaller components are assembled to make as large building parts as possible to
reduce the works on site. Hotel rooms are prefabricated as 3D-modules complete with bathrooms, installations, finishes and facade. The boxes are
self-supporting, stacked between the elevator cores at either end of the highrise. A complete prototype was produced so that all stakeholders could
visit and make revisions. Documentation of the construction steps allowed to improve the process for the following 200 modules increasing efficiency
and reducing error margin.
Best practice BIM design and Innovative collaboration methods
The Sara Culture Centre was designed with Building Information Modeling, BIM, in a common model encompassing over 300.000 elements. Recurring
automated collision controls have reduced the error rate as compared to a conventional project. The model is connected to several databases for
quantity take-offs and the construction site is paperless, relying on the 3Dmodel in special BIM-kiosks on site, as well as pdf drawings on iPads.
Collaboration during the design has been conducted in a software based on a video game motor, where consultants have communicated, resolved
issues and coordinated solutions in real time. The 3D-model has also served as a base for sustainability simulations such as daylight factors, wind and
internal CFD, energy use at different stages as well as for renderings and VR -models to inform stakeholders and the public on the progress.
Our approach to design this building was based on pragmatism and curiosity. The project was launched as an international design competition that we entered with funding from our in-house White Research Lab with the ambition to innovate timber construction. We collaborated with structural engineer DIFK from the very beginning to approach the design in a new way.
By embedding the innovative use of wood into the design and vision of the project, it survived the avalanche of technical and economic challenges along the way.
By founding the design and material use on the local heritage and collaborating with local know-how, the project has been supported by the local community throughout the entire process, and the finished building adopted by the citizens.
Timber construction must be transferred to other places and contexts, to reduce the climate impact of the construction and real estate industries. Several practical solutions developed in the project can be replicated, such as the premanufactured hotel rooms or details of accoustic separation.
Most importantly, the approach, methodology and collaboration in the project, and daring to question conventional and polluting methods, can be replicated to other benificiaries. We continuously spread knowledge of the project and the learnings at conferences and festivals.
The digital design methodology and technology behind were taught to all involved parties and is used in other projects.
By using mass timber as a modern expression of the local cultural heritage, locally sourced and manufactured in the region, the project addresses the following global challenges:
- Reduction of green house gas emissions from the construction sector
- Reduction of embodied carbon in building materials
- Reduction of waste from the construction sector
- Development and use of circular and renewable materials
- Development of new collaboration methods and contracts to allow for innovative construction
By developing a groundbreaking energy system connected to the urban grid with local power company Skellefteå Kraft and ABB, the project addresses the following global challenges:
- Reducing operational carbon emissions
- Reducing peak loads on urban grids (when fossil energy sources are extensively used worldwide)
By making the mid sized city more attractive and an alternative to large conurbations, the project responds to the global question of rural vs urban.
