Best Use of Certified Timber Prize: an iconic residential building and an inviting train station choose timber for sustainability and design

2 November 2022 Sustainable construction

Have a look at two more finalists of the Best Use of Certified Timer Prize, supported by PEFC: one of the world’s tallest timber-hybrid buildings and a sustainable train station that brings people together.

HAUT Amsterdam – Team V Architects, ARUP

The 21-story residential building HAUT enriches Amsterdam with its iconic status, allowing residents to enjoy the city through high ceilings, large windows and spacious terraces. It consists of 50 apartments ranging from 100 to 225 m², and two penthouses. With a height of 73 metres, HAUT is the tallest wooden residential building in the Netherlands, and one of the tallest timber-hybrid buildings in the world.

The most important driver for using timber was the potential to significantly reduce carbon emissions. The use of 2800 m³ of PEFC-certified timber allowed for a 50% reduction of carbon emissions, compared to a conventional building. The timber structure stores 1,800 tonnes of CO₂. It takes only two hours to regenerate the wood used for HAUT in the PEFC-certified Austrian forests from which it was sourced.

The building’s energy-generating façade uses triple glazing and, where possible, recyclable materials. Combined with the rooftop photovoltaics, the energy-positive exterior generates enough energy to supply the entire building with electricity. A rooftop garden and nest boxes for birds and bats add to the biodiversity on site.

Train station and town hall Växjö – Sweco AB

The new railway station and town hall in Växjö is one of the largest wooden buildings in Sweden.

The town hall with an area of over 13,000 m² provides space for 600 modern workplaces.

The 1,850 m² railway station on the ground floor houses shops, restaurants, and a 'Green Living Room' – a public space open to everybody.

The municipality has a tradition of building with timber, and it was a matter of course that the station would also be built in that material. The building was built in skeleton construction with a wooden frame of PEFC-certified cross-glued wooden elements, and Binderholz CLT BBS ceilings. The elegant, steeply sloping roof features an impressive, curved shape and was made of 125 CLT BBS elements.

The many visible wooden elements inside the building, such as ceilings, wall coverings, floors, and stairs, help create a warm and welcoming feeling.

The Best Use of Certified Timber Prize, supported by PEFC

The World Architecture Festival and PEFC are awarding the Best Use of Certified Timber Prize for the fourth time, recognising architects for using certified timber for buildings outstanding in sustainability, innovation, quality or aesthetics.

The Festival will take place as a hybrid event from 30 November until 2 December in Lisbon, Portugal.

Photo Credits: Jannes Linders, Felix Gerlach