Sweden is Building the World’s Largest City Made Entirely From Timber

A yellow crane hovers above a building site in Sickla, a former industrial neighbourhood that’s home to one of Stockholm’s biggest real estate projects. But instead of delivering concrete, it’s manoeuvring giant chunks of wood to construction staff working in sub-zero winter temperatures.

This is the beginning of what Swedish property developer Atrium Ljungberg describes as “the largest mass timber project in the world.” On the outskirts of Sweden’s capital, construction of ‘Stockholm Wood City’ began in October, several months ahead of schedule, and is set to provide 2,000 new homes by 2027. 

The company’s core goal is to improve the sustainability of construction projects. Building with wood instead of concrete and steel in 80% of new buildings would, according to a 2020 study by Aalto University and the Finnish Environment Institute, help offset half of Europe’s construction industry emissions. Atrium Ljungberg is also championing the idea that spending time in buildings made with natural materials can help improve our wellbeing. “We can tell the story about how to build a liveable city, how to add nature into the city and build something sustainable,” says Håkan Hyllengren, business development director for the project. “It's not just about wood, it’s the whole concept.” 

Large-scale wooden building projects are growing in popularity globally. Two years ago, Singapore opened a 468,000 square-foot wooden college campus building. Seattle opened a landmark eight-storey affordable housing block, also in 2023. And in Sydney, a giant timber retail and office space is currently under construction. 

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