Växjö City Hall and Central Station is potentially a zero-carbon timber building, due to its wooden construction, installation of renewable and smart systems.
The municipal and station house was built using wood and glass, reflecting the long tradition of the region in using wood for constructing new buildings. The sloping roof was selected for reducing the total area of the building’s envelope, thereby reducing energy loss and cut the use of building materials and waste. In addition, the municipal and station house was equipped with an on-site integrated ground source heat pump and photovoltaic solar system. The second good practice achieved the Swedish Environmental Certification-gold level due to its excellent performance. The Swedish Environmental Certification is a tool for evaluating the energy and environmental performance of buildings during their lifetime.
Resources needed
about 66 million euro
Evidence of success
The building achieved the gold level of Swedish green building certification, known as Miljöbyggnader. In addition, Växjö City Hall and Central Station show the possibility of combining renewable and local materials with advance and energy-efficient technologies to not only improve the indoor environment but also reduce energy consumption, cost, and environmental impacts.
Difficulties encountered
The main challenge was/ is to control traffic issues since the city hall is located in the central part of the city.
Potential for learning or transfer
1-The project will reduce the cost of the annual rent by 0.4 million euros than renovating the existing municipal building.
2-The new city hall creates a better working environment for employees, which will in the future enable Växjö municipality to reduce sick leave, retain staff, and attracts new employees - as an attractive workplace with a modern way of working,
3-The existing municipal building will be renovated and converted into a residential building with 250 apartments. Accordingly, it helps Växjö municipality to resolve issues concerning the shortage of residential apartments (specifically rental apartments),
4-It provides possibilities for having 800 parking places in the city center,
5-It contributes to the reduction of CO2 emissions in Växjö municipality,
6-The new city hall project aims to achieve the gold level of Swedish green building certification.
Tags: Carbon economy, Energy efficiency, Well-being
