Students from Chalmers win the architecture competition “New perspective on wood”
Nordbygg and the sectoral organization Swedish Wood, with the support of Architects Sweden have chosen the winner of “New perspective on wood”, a contest for students of architecture, with the main objective of highlighting wood as a material and showcasing its possibilities in the realm of innovation, circularity, and recycling.
The winning proposal, “Masses in movement”, is being rewarded for its new approach, which brings forward wood’s potential, and dares to widen the horizons of material, technology, and recycling.
The creators Simon Viklund and Tore Lagerquist come from Chalmers University of Technology (CTH) in Gothenburg.
Task and reward
The task of this competition was to create a meeting spot/gathering place at Nordbygg, which is organized at Stockholmsmässan in Älvsjö, on April 23rd-26th 2024. The winning contribution will be installed on the entrance square of Nordbygg, where the reward ceremony also will take place, and all contestants will be exhibited.
– Nordbygg is the most important meeting place for the construction and real estate industries in Northern Europe. The winner will be set up as a central gathering place close to the entrance, so it is obviously a great opportunity for these students of architecture to expose their work to the public at large, says Lina Hann, member of the jury and project manager at Nordbygg.
The winner of the contest will also receive a financial reward of 50 000 Swedish kronor and a study trip organized by Swedish Wood.
– What impressed us the most was these young students’ commitment to sustainability, circularity, and recycling, and all the new thoughts and ideas around how wood can contribute to this necessary transition, says Thomas Alsmaker and Johan Fröbel from Swedish Wood.
Purpose and motivation
The purpose of this contest is to promote knowledge of wood as a material, and to inspire innovative and sustainable architectural solutions. The jury considered four different criteria: the degree of innovation, the architectural shape, function, and feasibility. The winners were chosen after a careful assessment of the 26 contributions that were sent in
– “Masses in movement”, the structure itself gets to be present, which gives the meeting spot a sculptural feel. The glulam construction is being completed with CNC-milled massive wood panels, which have been neatly placed around the stage space to give a sense of tranquility. At the same time, light keeps floating in, and there is enough space to circulate. The jury was reminded of the fantastic copper tents in Hagaparken, yet here in a new interpretation, explains the jury’s secretary Tove Dumon Wallstén, SAR/MSA architect, Architects Sweden.
Click to see the winner “Masses in movement” (in Swedish) →
Other rewarded contributions
The jury gave an honorific reward to the contribution “Board garden” for its innovative approach and inspiring way of thinking about circularity and recycling. The creators of this contribution were Felix Olofsson, Adam Ryden and Svante Hallgren, students of architecture at Lund’s Faculty of Engineering (LTH). Click to see the proposal “Board garden” (In Swedish) →
The jury would also like to bring special attention to two proposals named “Barn on the move” and “A cabin to meet”, which address challenges for traditional wooden construction types. "Barn on the move" by Viktor Nordling, Chalmers University of Technology (CTH) (In Swedish) →
“A cabin to meet" by Max Lifmark, Chalmers University of Technology (CTH) (In Swedish) →
Jury
The different contestants were assessed by a jury composed of:
- Lina Hann, Project Manager, Stockholmsmässan/Nordbygg
- Johan Fröbel, Director of Technology & Trade, Swedish Wood
- Tomas Alsmarker, Director of Innovation & Research, Swedish Wood
- Malin Heyman, SAR/MSA architect, Atelier Heyman Hamilton (nominated by the contest’s administrative board, Architects Sweden)
Allan Foss, Project Manager and installation specialist at Stockholmsmässan was called in as an expert.
Tove Dumon Wallstén, SAR/MSA architect, was the Jury’s Secretary, with the support of Erik Eckersten, student coordinator, both from Architects Sweden.
Liv Ljungqvist, Stockholmsmässan, was the competition official.