Sara Cultural Center Skellefteå, Sweden. 2021.

In 2021, a new cultural center in Skellefteå opened, bringing together Västerbottensteater, Skellefteå Art Gallery, the Central Library, and MAN - Museum Anna Nordlander under one roof. In addition, the building houses a new hotel high-rise with a restaurant and spa.

The project was won through a competition in collaboration with White architects. DIFK was the responsible engineer from the competition phase through sketch project, preliminary project, pre-engineering and tender documents.

In 2015, it was unthinkable to create such a large and complex project completely in timber construction. White architects and DIFK had ambitious goals from the onset. Timber as a construction method has typically been excluded from projects where there are high demands for height, complexity, acoustics, stages, industrial kitchens, etc. Industry standards previously tended to see timber construction as applicable for smaller-scale projects, such as cabins, detached homes, and small blocks. These standards were not relevant for a large and complex high-rise.

White architects and DIFK therefore chose to put history aside and think completely new. We were not limited by the material, but concentrated rather on an adapted architecture. The solution was a combination of wood and steel – a hybrid construction. By carefully studying and exploring the qualities of timber in combination with steel, we were able to dimension wooden connections with column spacings of 3.6 and 14 meters. With this system, we created large, open halls that deliver exceptional experiences.

All the timber used in the project was sourced within a radius of 200 km around the building. For the erection of the high-rise hotel, prefabricated wooden modules saved up to one year of construction time.

Sara Cultural Center is a new standard for sustainable projects, and has since won a variety of international architecture and sustainability awards.