At almost 80 metres and 20 storeys, Sara Kulturhus will be one of the tallest wooden buildings in the world. 2 600 cubic metres of glulam and 10 700 cubic meters of cross-laminated timber have been used in total. The project is also an impressive carbon sink – the wood in the building stores 9 000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, which equates to the emissions of 13 000 people taking round-trip flights between Stockholm and New York. This fugure does not even include the climate benefit of all concrete replaced by wooden components!
The opening of Sara Kulturhus will take place on Wednesday 8 September from 14:00–17:30 and will be live streamed on the Facebook page @skelleftea.se. Participants will include architects, entrepreneurs, the developer, the property owner and the people responsible for programming events, plus there is a promise of a guided tour around the building. Housing Minister Märta Stenevi (MP) and Västerbotten County Governor Helene Hellmark Knutsson will also participate in the opening and will meet Jesper Åkerlund, CEO of Martinsons Byggsystem, to discuss building in wood in the future.
After the inauguration of Sara Kulturhus, the Housing Minister will visit Bygdsiljum Sawmill to learn more about building in wood and the important role wood has for a sustainable building. From Holmen, Henrik Sjölund, President and CEO, Olov Martinson, Site Manager Bygdsiljum and Jesper Åkerlund, CEO of Martinsons Byggsystem, will attend the visit to Bygdsiljum.
Find out more about Sara Kulturhus here: www.sarakulturhus.se