Södra has signed an agreement with the constructor LM Byg to supply approximately 5,700m3 of cross-laminated timber (CLT) and 2,300m3 of glue-laminated timber (glulam) for Marmormolen, a 28,000m2 wooden office building in Copenhagen, Denmark by Danish pension fund AP Ejendomme.
The construction of Marmormolen is ongoing. LM Byg as a contractor works with preparations for the next construction stage, which is the erection of the frame.
The building will rise 36m from the waterfront and be built eight floors above the ground. The 28,000m2 building will consist almost entirely of wood, which will not only be based on a load-bearing frame made of glulam. The wood will also be found in several elements of the building and the interior design.
Kenny Holm, marketing manager for Södra Building System Denmark, remarked: “The initial collaboration with LM Byg has been great, with good communication and trust. Therefore, we are very happy to have agreed so that we can continue the partnership regarding the project at Marmormolen.
“We see that wood and bio-based products are part of the building materials of the future. From the wooden perspective, the Marmormolen is a spectacular construction, and the project testifies to an ambitious builder and entrepreneur. As a wooden and knowledge supplier, it is a pleasure to help support a project like this.”
The project offers a new task for LM Byg, as it will be their first project in wood.
Frank Aarslew-Jensen, director of LM Byg, said: “With almost 100 years in the industry, Södra has proven that they are a serious and competitive wood supplier. Södra supplies many different wood solutions, such as construction wood, CLT, wood cladding, fire-treated wood, and more.
“In addition, Södra also has a sustainable approach to forestry. Södra matches LM Byg’s needs and ambitions in terms of building materials as well as sustainability, and therefore we are very happy to be able to agree with them to supply the wood for the raw house at Marmormolen.”
It is also the goal of Marmormolen to achieve a DGNB Platinum certification, a certification system in sustainable construction. This is done by using wood rather than concrete in the Marmormolen’s load-bearing construction, and by a strong focus on contributing to several of the United Nation’s (UN) world goals so that the transition to green construction moves forward.
It was therefore also a milestone in the project when AP Ejendomme in August 2022 was able to announce that the municipality of Copenhagen had permitted the construction of the 36m-high wooden building.
The building permit was also a sign of a change in Danish construction, which until now did not have a particularly strong tradition of building in wood — not at the heights at which the Marmormolen is built — but now to an increasing extent the creation of large-scale constructions in the solid wood material.
Holm concluded: “Although we already see large projects in drawings and execution, we are only at the beginning. We expect the market for buildings with solid wood such as CLT and glulam as supporting materials to grow much more shortly, especially in large constructions.
“Wood is particularly good as a frame because it is easy to work with, has a positive effect on the overall climate footprint of the construction, and is produced with great precision. It requires no extra effort to maintain, and therefore there is no essential reason to choose wood as a material, regardless of whether it is to be seen in the construction or not.”
