Sweden’s tallest office building made of wood is built in Hyllie, Malmo

In the climate-smart district of Hyllie in the southern part of Malmo, Wingårdhs arkitekter has designed an office building made of wood, which at its opening in 2024 became the tallest one of its kind in Sweden. The office building is located at the entrance to the “Embassy of sharing”, a new neighborhood in Hyllie, and across the Triangeln railway station (by KHR arkitekter), which has been the start of Scaledenmark’s professional guided tour for architects around the Hyllie district. Being a beacon for sustainable building practice, the building lives up to its name: “fyrtornet” (the lighthouse).

A low carbon footprint neighborhood

The buildings small footprint allows for a strong and open connection to the “Embassy of sharing”, an innovative urban development project. The neighborhood will be a mix of commercial spaces, housing, and meeting places which share one geoenergy system. The neighborhood is the latest step in the development of Hyllie, a district which has grown tremendously thanks to its beneficial placement for commuters to and from Malmo and Copenhagen. The master plan for the new neighborhood was developed by Wingårdhs arkitekter and is defined by a high variation of building types, though all with the same goal: to limit their environmental impact as much as possible.

Guiding Architects, article: Sweden’s tallest office building made of wood is built in Hyllie, Malmo (Fig. 2) — A footbridge connects the Lighthouse with Drivbanken, another office building in the Embassy of sharing. © Bo Christiansen

In the Lighthouse timber construction and cedar shingle façade contribute to reducing the carbon footprint of the office building, even the elevator shaft was built in wood. The glass façade has integrated solar panels and rests on a wooden gutter. But sustainability doesn’t only come from the use of material and energy. The developers and architects also focused on creating spaces which can be shared by the tenants: parking, meeting rooms, lounge, roof terrace and more. Furthermore, the adjacent building Drivbanken contributes with a restaurant, library, and concierge service open to all.

Guiding Architects, article: Sweden’s tallest office building made of wood is built in Hyllie, Malmo (Fig. 3) — An overhanging roof creates a sheltered space for the public. © Bo Christiansen

Guiding Architects, article: Sweden’s tallest office building made of wood is built in Hyllie, Malmo (Fig. 4) — The building has a falun red color, which has been traditionally used on wooden cottages in Scandinavia. © Bo Christiansen

Guiding Architects, article: Sweden’s tallest office building made of wood is built in Hyllie, Malmo (Fig. 5) — The wooden structure creates an indoor climate where people (and plants) can thrive. © Bo Christiansen

Destination Hyllie

The lighthouse completes the perimeter around Hyllie station square and gets a well-deserved central spot in Scaledenmark’s building tour in Hyllie, joining the Emporia shopping mall (Wingårdhs arkitekter,) with the impressive entrance and roof terrace, the ice block building (FOJAB architekter) and the iconic water tower (Karl Ivar Stål). And as if this is not enough, Wingårdhs arkitekter and Granitor are developing five additional innovative projects in the Embassy of sharing in the coming years.

Text by: Marrije Vanden Eynde, Scaledenmark