Swedish Örnsro Timber Town relies on wood to lower its carbon footprint

Danish firm C.F. Møller Architects have been tapped to design a visionary urban quarter in Sweden that primarily features timber construction.

Proposed for central Örebro, Sweden, the "Örnsro Trästad”—Swedish for Örnsro Timber Town—will serve as a vibrant new destination that shows off how the use of renewable wood as a construction material can lower energy consumption and the town’s carbon footprint. In addition to the organic feel of its timber buildings, the residential quarter will also be heavily integrated with plantings and connect with the nearby Ängen public park.Created in collaboration with Slättö Förvaltning, the approximately 18,000-square-meter Örnsro Timber Town comprises residential units as well as plazas and other structures for social meetings and recreation. The solid timber-framed buildings will be built to a variety of heights for visual interest. Residents and visitors will be encouraged to walk or bike through the neighborhood along the ‘activity route’ that snakes through the quarter and connects to existing promenade sections along Svartån creek.

“We wish to create an including urban quarter in which the city’s urban and social qualities interact with the park’s organic structures. The proposal illustrates a vision with the objective to create an exciting place in Örebro, of unique value, with innovative architecture,” said Ola Jonsson, the project architect at C.F. Møller. “For us, it is an obvious choice to choose solid wood for structure as well as façades of wood. In addition to contributing positively to the environment, wood gives us new opportunities to create innovative and value-creating architecture.”