Magazine
MAGAZIN
Climate protection via furniture store
#greenbuilding

Climate protection via furniture store

In 2021, IKEA will open its most innovative furniture store to date in Vienna. Designed by querkraft architects, the city store will bring cooling greenery to the Westbahnhof neighbourhood. For climate protection, against climate change – and GREENPASS Platinum-certified.

The topping-out ceremony, which should have taken place at the end of the year, fell victim to the pandemic and was cancelled without being celebrated. But the completion date of the building designed by Viennese architectural firm querkraft is still expected to be met: the new IKEA city store next to the Vienna Westbahnhof train station is scheduled to open in autumn 2021. And the new building is indeed remarkable, as it will become the most innovative of all the home furnishing retailer’s worldwide stores. A furniture store that benefits the climate, conceived with a focus on the fight against climate change.

Car-free furniture shopping

Shopaholics beware: the new city store will be “car free”. Spontaneous shopping trips along the lines of “…that will fit in the boot as well” are a non-starter. The design makes no allowance for customer parking at all. On the other hand, its location by the Westbahnhof train station makes it convenient to reach by public transport. So how do you get your new sofa or cupboard back home if you’ve travelled to the new IKEA by underground or bike? A presentation video is already promising a user-friendly delivery service. And a furniture store that’s also a pleasant meeting place.

Designed by the Viennese architecture firm querkraft, GREENPASS-certified and situated right by the Westbahnhof train station: the new “green” IKEA city store. (Image: ZOOM visual projects gmbH)
Designed by the Viennese architecture firm querkraft, GREENPASS-certified and situated right by the Westbahnhof train station: the new “green” IKEA city store.

The aforementioned absence of cars isn’t the only thing the complex is doing to protect the climate and fight climate change, though. The pioneering furniture store has a lot more up its sleeve: even before completion, it was awarded the GREENPASS Platinum certificate. This celebrates its outstanding performance in the areas of climate, water, energy, air, biodiversity and costs. The certificate is a kind of “world premiere” that makes the new building an even more unique project – for the benefit of the neighbours and the city as a whole.

160 “cool” trees

With 160 trees, the city store should make the area around the Westbahnhof station up to 1.5 degrees Celsius cooler on hot days. And it creates additional greenery for the neighbourhood too. This is an important quality, as was clear from the feedback to a question posed at the start of the architecture competition: What would people around the store location want?

A multipurpose city park

“The answer was clear: an inner city park!” reports Jakob Dunkl of querkraft architects. So, the team of architects set about developing the visionary project of a vertical park that houses a furniture store and also a hostel. All in the reassuring knowledge that their client IKEA cares deeply about the topics of sustainability, biodiversity, climate protection and neighbourhood.

Visually appealing, and an active contribution to climate protection: 160 trees from the Baumschule Jakel nursery will add greenery to the new furniture store. (Image: Baumschule / JAKEL)
Visually appealing, and an active contribution to climate protection: 160 trees from the Baumschule Jakel nursery will add greenery to the new furniture store.

The new “green” home furnishings paradise, which borders directly onto Vienna’s Westbahnhof station, is a furniture store that protects the climate. The seven-storey building is being constructed on a roughly 4,000 square-metre plot in the heart of a densely built-up neighbourhood with Gründerzeit architecture. Although it will house a hostel in addition to the city store, not only IKEA fans and hostel guests will be able to enjoy the benefits of the new building. With its greened facade and publicly accessible roof terrace, the building will be another inviting attraction for Vienna as a whole. And one that does battle against the urban heat island phenomenon specifically and climate change in general.

City centre instead of “out of town”

“We’ve come a long way from ‘blue boxes’ on the green lawn to a city centre furniture store that is second to none. We dare to do this experiment because our lives, customer behaviour and also mobility habits are changing rapidly. Responding to these changes requires new ways,” explains IKEA Austria Business Development Manager, Maimuna Mosser. The many trees and bushes on all the facades give the furniture store a distinctive appearance. They live in oversized plant pots and a sensor-controlled system supplies them with water and nutrients.

Progress in the city: the new building is scheduled to open this year. (Image: GREENPASS)
Progress in the city: the new building is scheduled to open this year.
It will house a hostel in addition to the furniture store. (Image: GREENPASS)
It will house a hostel in addition to the furniture store.

It was clear from the beginning that the building and its exterior installations needed to have a positive impact on the micro and urban climate. Even at the architectural competition stage in 2017, GREENPASS pre-certification was used to demonstrate and advocate the effects of the design concepts and efficacy of the greenery.

Climate protection with a stamp of approval

The design concept for the lush greenery of the city store was developed by landscape designers Kräftner Landschaftsarchitektur with the support of the experts at Green4Cities. GREENPASS helped to optimize placement of the vegetation in the draft and detailed design. The goal: maximum effectiveness and thermal comfort for the future occupants and the neighbourhood. Including official confirmation in the form of the first international certification standard for climate resilience.

Climate protection via furniture store. (Image: GREENPASS / ZOOM visual projects gmbH)

With a focus on open space, six urban topics were analysed, optimized and evaluated: climate, water, air, biodiversity, energy and costs. The achieved score of 328 points corresponds to an overall performance rate of 91 percent. As a result, the furniture store that wants to help protect the climate received the world’s first GREENPASS Platinum certificate.

This new, comprehensive quality certification was also taken into account for relevant indicators (microclimate and biodiversity) in the BREEAM evaluation system. Encouragingly, the project achieved a rating of “Excellent” here as well.

Successful innovation

The new development was also compared with the older buildings. The evaluation frameworks used for GREENPASS certification are standardized reference scenarios. These range from “totally sealed” to “fully greened”, on a scale from “Worst Case” and “Moderate” to “Best Case”. The green design of the furniture store resulted in significantly better values than the older buildings. And it did so in all five key categories: thermal waste airflow, comfort and storage capacity, run-off score and CO2 storage.

Climate protection via furniture store. (Image: GREENPASS / ZOOM visual projects gmbH)

The results of the certification are based on simulations using ENVI-met. And they show that the project actually reduces the local air temperature on hot days by up to one-and-a-half degrees Celsius.

Perceptible climate protection

Everyone is talking about climate protection. But it’s not often that individuals are able to gain live experience of the effectiveness of measures to counter climate change and its consequences in day-to-day life. That could now all change with the new city store. At least for visitors who shop there for furniture or visit Vienna’s new green oasis in the height of summer. Because the apparent temperature on the roof terrace, GREENPASS assures us, will feel more than 12 degrees Celsius cooler.

Climate protection via furniture store. (Image: GREENPASS / ZOOM visual projects gmbH)

The analysis also shows that the new city store really does make a contribution to climate protection: it illustrates that the vegetation and soil store over six kilograms of CO2 on each hot day. This is three times more than the older buildings. The thermal storage capacity – a measure of how much a district overheats – is improved. As are the required cooling-degree hours and average run-off factor (from 0.9 to 0.79).

Two hectares of “greenhouse gas munchers”

The innovative furniture store will result in an additional 2,700 square metres of greenery and 160 trees. This equates to a total of over two hectares of leaf area that “consumes” greenhouse gases, thus protecting the climate in the process.

The scientifically developed evaluation system by the Viennese start-up GREENPASS analyses the future sustainability of projects and assists in optimizing new buildings. (Image: GREENPASS)
The scientifically developed evaluation system by the Viennese start-up GREENPASS…
The scientifically developed evaluation system by the Viennese start-up GREENPASS assists in optimizing new buildings. (Image: GREENPASS)
…analyses the future sustainability of projects and assists in optimizing new buildings.

The project also received 15 out of 20 bonus points in the qualitatively evaluated bonus categories of biodiversity, resources and social aspects. Promoting biodiversity in particular was an important aspect when developing the furniture store. Special consideration was given to plant selection, vegetation and habitat structures, biodiverse herbaceous layer, bee and bird pastures as well as nesting and breeding sites.

A focus on sustainability

The use of recycled materials in landscape gardening and the installation of smart lighting and irrigation systems are also examined in the resources bonus category.

Bonus points for “social aspects”

The climate-protection focused development by the Westbahnhof train station also contributes to the bonus category “social aspects”. After all, the new city store creates private open spaces and communal areas. And it’s all barrier-free and tailored to the wishes of the neighbours and occupants. Florian Kraus, CEO of the Viennese start-up GREENPASS, hopes that the green IKEA in Vienna will become the archetype that starts a trend. A shining example that will “convince sceptics to take the same approach in transforming urban spaces for greater quality of life and climate resilience”.

   

Construction work continues despite the pandemic. (Image: GREENPASS)
Construction work continues despite the pandemic.
Vienna’s new IKEA is scheduled to open its doors in autumn 2021. (Image: GREENPASS)
Vienna’s new IKEA is scheduled to open its doors in autumn 2021.

The fact that vertical vegetation is of special benefit in cities is accelerating the trend towards more greenery. Although it was a fringe phenomenon for a long time, the number of modern buildings with green facades and roofs is now increasing rapidly. Spectacular projects, such as part two of the Düsseldorf Kö-Bogen, the London Citicape House and “1000 Trees” in Shanghai, are generating keen interest worldwide.

In Austria too, sumptuously greened buildings – like the MA 48 headquarters situated on the Vienna Gürtel – are causing quite a stir. And specialists in green roofs and facades are increasingly offering low-maintenance and reasonably priced systems that make a positive contribution not only to the urban quality of life, but also to climate protection in general.

Centrally located, vibrant and green: the city store is expected to become a popular new meeting place. (Image: ZOOM visual projects GmbH)
Centrally located, vibrant and green: the city store is expected to become a popular new meeting place.

The new city store in Vienna is a building designed first and foremost with environmental friendliness and people in mind. The furniture store with a hostel aims to make an important contribution towards transforming the urban environment in the fight against climate change. It shows how climate protection and city can be compatible, despite intensive use. And thanks to many synergies for the common good.

Whether fans of Swedish furniture who tend to fill their cars with impulse purchases will love the car-free IKEA remains to be seen. In any case, the desire to make an active contribution to protecting the climate with an innovative concept deserves recognition.

Text: Elisabeth Schneyder
Images: GREENPASS, ZOOM visual projects, Jakel

Other articles
that might interest you

A metro station built with timber
#city planning
A metro station built with timber

Although this design looks like a utopian dream, in Copenhagen it is set to become reality. Over the coming years, the Danish capital will be introducing timber-hybrid metro stations. The concept by JaJa Architects adopts a holistic approach and takes climate-friendly building below ground.

Logistics centre opts for wood
#greenbuilding
Logistics centre opts for wood

Not far from Amsterdam, fashion giant Bestseller is building Europe’s largest timber logistics centre – called “Logistics Center West”. Designed by Danish architects Henning Larsen, it aims to set new standards in sustainability and design.

Mediating between mountain and valley
#greenbuilding
Mediating between mountain and valley

Its design blends alpine architecture with the outline of a craggy mountain range. The Congress and Exhibition Centre in the municipality of Agordo in northern Italy reimagines aesthetic forms of expression in timber construction.

A Zen-style home
#living
A Zen-style home

The Belgian city of Antwerp will soon benefit from a Japanese-inspired, timber-hybrid residential tower that is currently under construction. The building was designed by Pritzker Prize winner Shigeru Ban, who takes nature and wood as central inspiration for his designs.

Flourishing in a residential greenhouse
#living
Flourishing in a residential greenhouse

Bremen’s Überseeinsel district is a new, green neighbourhood currently under development. Affordable, sustainable and attractive living space will be on offer in the Residential Greenhouse. It is designed to be a home for both people and plants.

New schools from construction kits
#greenbuilding
New schools from construction kits

There is a severe shortage of schools – 15,000 are needed in Europe alone. The easy-to-assemble kit from Stora Enso – called Sylva – can be used to create eco-friendly wooden schools that offer children a positive learning environment and architecture that gives them a sense of meaning and purpose.

The woman behind Henning Larsen
#architecture
The woman behind Henning Larsen

CEO Mette Kynne Frandsen has worked for over 20 years to make Danish architectural firm Henning Larsen what it is today: a pioneer in creating sustainable yet iconic architecture around the world. She gave us an interview before leaving her position.

Affordable living space made with timber
Affordable living space made with timber

Climate change and social issues are closely intertwined, and climate-friendly timber construction is often still classed as a luxury segment. The timber housing project Seestadt Aspern in Vienna is an award-winning example of social housing construction, and also an Instagram hotspot.

Architecture with health benefits
#greenbuilding
Architecture with health benefits

The New Medical Clinic (NMK) in Tübingen combines Scandinavian timber construction expertise with architecture that puts people first. Its wholly sustainable concept was designed by White Arkitekter and HPP Architekten.

Courtyards for all
#city planning
Courtyards for all

The PettCo is the name of a new neighbourhood development in Friedrichshain, Berlin, where Wilhelminian-style buildings are being renovated and made climate-ready, together with a sustainable new building. Six inner courtyards will provide new public space, urban farming included.

A carbon-free head office
#greenbuilding
A carbon-free head office

Stora Enso, the second largest forestry company in the world, will soon move into their new headquarters. The Katajanokan Laituri complex is set to be both a masterpiece of Finnish timber construction – and also climate neutral. Its aesthetics are reminiscent of grandmaster Alvar Aalto.

Sustainability with the power of two
#greenbuilding
Sustainability with the power of two

Architectural firm Pittino & Ortner based in Styria, Austria, is making a name for itself on two fronts: with its huge timber-hybrid book storage facility in Vienna and its café on Lake Thalersee near Graz.

A touch of the countryside in Cologne
#living
A touch of the countryside in Cologne

In the west of Cologne, a new residential neighbourhood called “Ehre und Liebig” is being built, with the feel of a holiday village. Divided into small areas, green and suitable for all lifestyles, the project offers flats, townhouses and shops for everyday needs.

New ideas within old walls
#smart office
New ideas within old walls

Reusing old buildings helps to protect the environment and scarce resources. As the architects from 3deluxe in Wiesbaden demonstrate, this can be achieved even in the trickiest of settings, creating state-of-the-art workspaces in the midst of industrial history.

Redensification with timber
#city planning
Redensification with timber

A competition entry submitted by architectural office Querkraft in Vienna shows the role that timber can play in increasing urban construction density. With extensive soil unsealing and greening, it also helps to create a cooling urban woodland in a Bielefeld district.

On track for transformation
#greenbuilding
On track for transformation

Industrial wastelands need new strategies to present workable options for re-use. The architects at Smartvoll are experts in this kind of development. One of their designs is an ecosystem for the former railway depot in Amstetten, Lower Austria, as living space for plants, animals and people.

When the school bell rings
#architecture
When the school bell rings

Its roof looks like three pyramids atop a space of celebratory grandeur, a wooden construction reminiscent of timber-framed buildings. This is precisely what the architects at Maccreanor Lavington had in mind for the new dining hall at Ibstock Place School.

A church that stores carbon
#architecture
A church that stores carbon

As the first church to be built in Copenhagen for 30 years, it may well become an icon. Ørestad Church is a sculptural timber construction designed by Henning Larsen. A kind of “Church 2.0”, it is also a modern community centre that reaches out to everybody regardless of their belief.

More timber construction for Munich
#greenbuilding
More timber construction for Munich

Following completion of Germany’s largest timber housing development in Munich, the city’s first timber hybrid office complexes are now being built. Developed by Accumulata, these projects will offer sustainable workplaces for the future and also construction materials that remain in the loop.

Long live the high-rise
#greenbuilding
Long live the high-rise

The high-rise for the future is built of wood and can be reconfigured at any time. A prototype called the Regenerative High-Rise has been designed by Haptic Architects and Ramboll to be freely adaptable. It is also a sign of a long life ahead for the concept of compact living in tomorrow’s world.

A whole town built of wood
#city planning
A whole town built of wood

Wendelstrand near Gothenburg is a new community and housing development with social and ecological sustainability, sited in a disused quarry. The master plan and Lakehouse by the architects at Snøhetta show how urban planning and housing construction can be reimagined.

Wisdome shows pioneering expertise
#greenbuilding
Wisdome shows pioneering expertise

One of the world’s most spectacular timber engineering projects was recently completed in Sweden. Built for Stockholm’s Tekniska Museet, the Wisdome is a free-form structure using 20 kilometres of laminated veneer lumber. The design uses this kind of wood in an entirely new way.

A cathedral of wood
#interior
A cathedral of wood

Canadian celebrity chef and internet star Matty Matheson teamed up with architect Omar Gandhi to create a restaurant landscape consisting entirely of wood, from top to bottom. There is little sign of rustic, folkloristic romance here, though.

Award-winning engineered timber design
#smart office
Award-winning engineered timber design

Completed in Gothenburg and made of wood, Nodi was named business building of the year 2021. It is another prestigious timber construction in the portfolio of White Arkitekter, the architects responsible for timber high-rise Sara Kulturhus in Skellefteå.

New green district in Copenhagen
#city planning
New green district in Copenhagen

Jernbanebyen is being developed right in the centre of Copenhagen, based on plans drawn up by Danish architectural office Cobe. Formerly a railroad yard, the area is being transformed into an innovative green district. It will be partially car-free, with repurposed listed buildings and lots of new ideas for improving the quality of life.

In the depths of the forest
#smart office
In the depths of the forest

Dense, green forests are often synonymous with calm, nature and unspoiled landscapes – but they also need care and attention. Such forestry operations can inspire interesting architecture, as shown by the Forest Administration Lodge in Czechia.

Better, greener, cleaner
#greenbuilding
Better, greener, cleaner

The teams at Berlin Waste Management are out and about day in day out, keeping Germany’s capital city looking good and ensuring resources remain in the cycle. Their new headquarters in Südkreuz have the same aspirations and are a prime example of sustainable ideas.

Digital and climate neutral
#greenbuilding
Digital and climate neutral

Their pioneering timber high-rise gained international recognition for the architects at White Arkitekter. Researcher and architect Jonas Runberger explains why computational design processes are so important for reaching climate goals.

Timber engineering with industrial chic
#smart office
Timber engineering with industrial chic

Its facade is made from recycled aluminium, and the load-bearing structure follows a hybrid timber design. Named i8, this office building in Munich’s Werksviertel is committed to decarbonization and forms a link with the neighbourhood’s industrial past.

Affordable housing made of wood
#greenbuilding
Affordable housing made of wood

Marc Koehler and ANA Architects have joined forces to build the Netherlands’ most sustainable and affordable timber mid-range residential complex, with its own tiny forest. The name of this visionary project in the Amsterdam district of IJburg? Robin Wood.

Self-sufficiency under glass
#living
Self-sufficiency under glass

Rising energy prices won’t affect people who live in Atri, a building designed by Swedish provider Naturvillan. They will be wholly self-sufficient with solar energy, home-grown vegetables and a water treatment plant.

Smart and climate positive
#hotel
Smart and climate positive

Situated on the Danish island of Bornholm, the Green Solution House hotel features smart rooms and real-time energy and resource monitoring. The hotel designed by 3XN/GXN has raised the bar with its climate-positive timber wing.

Zurich Airport opts for timber
#greenbuilding
Zurich Airport opts for timber

Sustainability is reaching new heights for the new design of Dock A at Zurich Airport. In the design competition organized by Flughafen Zurich AG, the jury selected “Raumfachwerk”, a project submitted by BIG, HOK and 10:8 Architekten consisting primarily of timber.

Refilling the green way
#greenbuilding
Refilling the green way

The filling station of the future will be not just fossil-free, green and clean, but also a place where motorway travellers can relax and recuperate. With this in mind, a modular, ultra-fast charging station built with timber has been designed by Danish architectural studio Cobe.

Living in the house of balconies
#living
Living in the house of balconies

The Grid is a special kind of building that has been designed for Amsterdam by Dutch firm KCAP. Recently completed, this apartment block looks as if it were made entirely of balconies. And that’s by no means all that makes it such a liveable home.

The wonderful water house
#greenbuilding
The wonderful water house

Sustainable, individual yet blending in perfectly with the ensemble: this is the description given to the “water house” to be built by KCAP on Hamburg’s waterfront. It will be a future-oriented residential tower that will provide the HafenCity with another example of stimulating architecture.

Timber construction by star architect
#hotel
Timber construction by star architect

The first five-storey hotel in mass timber design is located in Zillertal, Austria, created by celebrated Italian architect Matteo Thun. It is no coincidence that one of the leading players in structural timber construction is based only a stone’s throw away.

Cedar trees off the ground
#greenbuilding
Cedar trees off the ground

Stefano Boeri is regarded as a pioneer of biodiverse architecture. The Torre dei Cedri planned for the outskirts of Lausanne will be another of his spectacular towers. This time, the vertical forest will consist of over 80 trees.

Timber showcase for Volvo
#greenbuilding
Timber showcase for Volvo

A special kind of discovery world is taking shape in Gothenburg, where Swedish vehicle manufacturer Volvo is using timber construction and nature to create its World of Volvo. The components and engineering for Henning Larsen’s design are being provided by Austrian firm Wiehag.

How to upcycle a high-rise
#greenbuilding
How to upcycle a high-rise

Danish architects 3XN are operating a separate division called GXN that develops green innovations. In this interview, Kim Herforth Nielsen and Kåre Poulsgaard talk about behavioural design, carbon as a market driver, and their radical high-rise project in Sydney.

A bridge to the future
#greenbuilding
A bridge to the future

As Dusseldorf’s Theodor Heuss Bridge needs a complete overhaul, the team at RKW Architektur + put their heads together – and produced a spectacular new design. It is literally packed with potential.

Yes to Jess!
#city planning
Yes to Jess!

The town of Jessheim is getting an impressive new centre. Designed by Norwegian firm Mad arkitekter, it promises to combine sustainable urban development with attractive indoor and outdoor areas.

Timber high-rise with guaranteed recycling
#greenbuilding
Timber high-rise with guaranteed recycling

The Kajstaden Tall Timber Building in Sweden marks the beginning of a new generation of mass timber blocks. Using this building material saves around 500 tonnes of CO₂, and it also facilitates deconstruction later on.

Now that’s rocket science
#greenbuilding
Now that’s rocket science

There’s a rocket preparing to launch in Switzerland. The residential timber high-rise named Rocket in Winterthur’s Lokstadt neighbourhood will reach a height of 100 metres. The tower’s residents will be part of the 2000-watt society.

It’s time for Carl
#greenbuilding
It’s time for Carl

May we introduce Carl? Using timber for its facade besides the supporting structure, the apartment block is currently under construction in Pforzheim. Architect Peter W. Schmidt explains how this is being done.

The best of both worlds
#city planning
The best of both worlds

Who wouldn’t want to play a part in designing their own neighbourhood? The future residents of the pioneering Floating Gardens project get to do this. The new, sustainable complex in Amsterdam not only has a school, but also sets out to teach others what sustainable living is all about.

A school with the hygge factor
#greenbuilding
A school with the hygge factor

Kautokeino skole in northern Norway is a project that seeks to embrace the uniqueness of Sami culture and educational style. The mass wood building is so hygge, you’ll want to check in for a few nights.

Superblock designed with mass timber
#city planning
Superblock designed with mass timber

Canada’s megaproject Waterfront Toronto includes a new district called Quayside, an all-electric and climate-neutral community. Its highlights are a two-acre urban forest and the residential Timber House by architect David Adjaye.

Where the future is radically car-free
#city planning
Where the future is radically car-free

The city of San Diego in Southern California has plans for a new district, one that will be entirely void of cars. Known as Neighborhood Next, it must be one of the most radical projects in the USA.

Climate neutral and affordable
#city planning
Climate neutral and affordable

The new urban quarter Zwhatt near Zurich is designed to enable climate-neutral living at affordable prices. One of its buildings is a 75-metre-high timber hybrid tower known as Redwood, whose facade generates solar power.

High-tech timber for Norwegian banking
#smart office
High-tech timber for Norwegian banking

Timber construction can be decidedly high-tech, as illustrated by the head office built for SR Bank in Stavanger, Norway. Bjergsted Financial Park offers workplaces that are fit for the future, and it is among Europe’s largest engineered timber buildings.

Hamburg sets a new benchmark
#greenbuilding
Hamburg sets a new benchmark

HafenCity Hamburg is an urban quarter fit for the future. Its eco cherry on the top is the “Null-Emissionshaus” (Zero Emissions Building), which is completely carbon-neutral – and can be dismantled like a Lego house.

Wood on London’s skyline
#greenbuilding
Wood on London’s skyline

Researchers at Cambridge University are helping to turn London’s spectacular vision of a wooden skyscraper into reality. The Oakwood Timber Tower is to rise 300 metres into the sky, almost level with the tallest building in the city.

New centrepiece for Eindhoven
#city planning
New centrepiece for Eindhoven

What used to be a single-purpose neighbourhood is being transformed into a versatile motor of urban progress: Eindhoven is turning its railway station district in Fellenoord into a buzzing new area where all kinds of innovations are set to flourish.

Back to the roots
#living
Back to the roots

The eco-friendly residential project Roots will be the new landmark of Hamburg’s HafenCity and the tallest timber high-rise in Germany. Architect Jan Störmer reveals what its future residents will have in common.

Timber with talent and technology
#greenbuilding
Timber with talent and technology

The Danish office 3XN is planning to build North America’s tallest timber office building in Toronto. Called T3 Bayside, the complex will offer more than 500,000 sq. ft. of next-generation office space when completed.

Back to the future
#city planning
Back to the future

Oslo was once built entirely of wood. The project chosen to redesign the area around its railway station heralds the return of this traditional building material to the Scandinavian metropolis. A spectacular office tower with an innovative hub is being developed, named Fjordporten.

Forest bathing on your doorstep
#greenbuilding
Forest bathing on your doorstep

Dutch architectural firm Gaaga has designed a residential building in Eindhoven that is distinctly people- and environment-friendly. Surrounded by trees, it is situated in the middle of a park.

From hamster wheel to perpetual motion
#greenbuilding
From hamster wheel to perpetual motion

An office building is being constructed in Madrid that even does some work itself: generating solar power. More power than it actually needs.

A floral cyborg
#city planning
A floral cyborg

A woodland of man-made and native trees has sprung up in Shanghai, named Solar Trees Marketplace. It even generates its own solar power.

The tessellated pavilion
#greenbuilding
The tessellated pavilion

Japanese architect Kengo Kuma and Australian artist Geoff Nees teamed up to design the Botanical Pavilion – a wooden pavilion that is constructed like a 3D puzzle – without using any kind of glue or screws.

Origami in wood
#greenbuilding
Origami in wood

Japanese architectural firm UENOA has created a wooden office that has no need for bearing walls. Folded origami-style, the ceiling construction gives a whole new lightness to cross-laminated timber.

The healthy Ochsner Center
#greenbuilding
The healthy Ochsner Center

There is a new building taking shape in New Orleans that fits perfectly with two very pressing issues: the new Ochsner Center for Innovation will be devoted to developing modern healthcare solutions. The project, which has already won numerous awards, is geared wholly towards sustainability.

Paris reinvents itself with Mille Arbres
#greenbuilding
Paris reinvents itself with Mille Arbres

A good four years ago, OXO Architectes and Sou Fujimoto embarked on an adventure called Mille Arbres – a mega-project with a plant biotope over Paris’s famous Périphérique ring road.

“Climate change changes everything”
#greenbuilding
“Climate change changes everything”

Sustainability is a top priority for the Powerhouse Company. In an interview, partner Stefan Prins explains why this means more than just a careful choice of materials and energy efficiency, and how essential it is to consider all the changes brought about by climate change when building.

Time for a new Bauhaus
#greenbuilding
Time for a new Bauhaus

EU President Ursula von der Leyen wants to put climate neutrality centre stage. The first official related project is called Sunflower House and is based on the internal workings of sunflowers.

A timber high-rise goes into production
#greenbuilding
A timber high-rise goes into production

The Life Cycle Tower One was the first timber high-rise in Austria and the prototype for a new type of serial construction. CREE founder Hubert Rhomberg explains the green building concept and why we have to learn to think in lifecycles.

Pirelli calendar for architects
#greenbuilding
Pirelli calendar for architects

Milan’s iconic but disused Pirellino office building is to be renovated in spectacular style and renamed Pirelli 39. Its special greenery will even adapt its colours to the passing seasons…

Timber housing on a modest budget
#greenbuilding
Timber housing on a modest budget

Most people looking for a new home with a sustainable design need to have deep pockets. Rotterdam’s Pendrecht district aims to buck this trend courtesy of timber building Valckensteyn, the brainchild of the architects at Powerhouse Company.

All in the name
#greenbuilding
All in the name

In Düsseldorf, The Cradle is gradually taking shape. The timber hybrid office building is being constructed according to circular economy principles, and these will also govern its future use.

Twin peaks for the Netherlands
#greenbuilding
Twin peaks for the Netherlands

The Dutch city of Eindhoven will soon be home to the world’s highest “plyscraper”. The two towers – 100 and 130 metres high and known as the Dutch Mountains – are to set new standards in high-rise timber construction.

A floating office made of wood
#smart office
A floating office made of wood

Workplace ahoy! Architecture studio Powerhouse Company has designed a concept for a floating office building. Sustainable, energy-neutral and made of wood, it will serve as the headquarters for the Global Center on Adaptation in Rotterdam as of autumn 2020.

Crowned with timber
#greenbuilding
Crowned with timber

A mixed-use project in Sweden’s Gothenburg is being crowned by star architect Dorte Mandrup. The jewel in this crown is its use of timber. The new eco construction is intended to become an icon in sustainable urban architecture.

A timber first
#greenbuilding
A timber first

Following an initial defeat by the authorities, in the second leg Zaha Hadid Architects managed to gain planning permission for the world’s first timber football stadium.

Aix-les-Bains: antiquity in green
#greenbuilding
Aix-les-Bains: antiquity in green

The ancient Romans used to bathe in healing waters here, and aristocrats from all over the world came to socialize during the Belle Époque. The historic baths in France’s thermal spa resort Aix-les-Bains are now on course for new fame: eco-architect Vincent Callebaut is turning them into a green paradise.

Gare Maritime restored in timber splendour
#greenbuilding
Gare Maritime restored in timber splendour

Once Europe’s largest freight station, Brussels’ monumental Gare Maritime is now the largest European CLT project. Neutelings Riedijk Architects have transformed the historic structure into a covered district, giving it a sustainable new lease of life using cross-laminated timber.