NEWS

(02/18/2025 / sbr)

Södra delivers CLT to Gothenburg Grand Central

The construction of Gothenburg Grand Central has started, a new station building in a completely new district. Together with Hybridge, Södra is delivering 9,100 square meters of cross-laminated timber (CLT) for the building's frame. Gothenburg's new station building is a project with a clear focus on sustainability and a minimized climate footprint. The majority of the building's structure is made of wood, which is combined with recycled bricks, climate-improved concrete, and recycled steel.

The building will be nearly 120 meters long and extend more than 20 meters in height. The interior is characterized by visible wood in various forms that promote sustainable construction.

“We are very proud to deliver our renewable and locally produced CLT to Gothenburg’s new station building. Using wood as a building material with low climate impact significantly reduces the carbon dioxide emissions associated with the building. Additionally, the wood continues to store carbon dioxide throughout the building's lifetime. Wood as a natural material also provides a pleasant environment to be in,” says Andreas Berge, business area manager at Södra Building Systems.

Hybridge (former Prefabsystem Syd) is responsible for the frame contract in the project and is a long-standing and well-established partner of Södra. “We have collaborated with Södra already in the early bidding phase. Our good cooperation in the early phase combined with Södra's capacity and the product's low climate impact in terms of carbon dioxide emissions is what made the choice fall on Södra when it comes to deliveries of CLT in the project,” says Mårten Holmberg, CEO and business manager at Hybridge.

The assembly is carried out by KL projekt, with which Södra has a well-functioning collaboration. The groundbreaking of the construction took place in September 2024. Södra's delivery of CLT starts in the first quarter of 2025. The station building is expected to be completed in December 2026, with the upper floors in early 2027.

The architect behind the project is Oslo-based Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter. PEAB is the general contractor for the project. The building is owned and will be managed by Jernhusen.

Södra's value chain contributes to the low climate impact of CLT

“The production of CLT (cross-laminated timber) is carried out in symbiosis with Södra's pulp mill and sawmill at the facility in Värö outside Varberg. In this way, we utilize the entire tree and refine the sustainable forest raw material from family forestry's responsibly managed forests into renewable, climate-smart products and solutions that create value for many people in a more natural society. Södra was founded in 1938 on the idea that we are stronger together. Today, Södra is Sweden's largest forest owners' association with more than 50,000 family forest owners as members. Together, the members of Södra own a world-leading industry that refines forest raw materials into renewable products in pulp, wood, building systems, liquid bioproducts, and energy.”

What is CLT?

CLT is a renewable material with great possibilities. The product is made from sawn spruce timber, which is finger-jointed and glued together into lamellas. The lamellas are then cross-laid in layers, creating a massive CLT element. It is a construction that provides a strong and rigid building element with high dimensional stability. With the help of modern CNC technology, Södra achieves high precision, which means that the construction time on site becomes more efficient.