ABSTRACT
Sweden, the Europes' third largest country, possesses the largest forests in Europe at 23.75 million hectares. Today the country has an annual timber growth of approximately 120 million m3 and an annual harvest of approximately 100 million m3, yielding a sustainable net increase of forest mass each year. The Limnologen was the tallest series of residential timber buildings in Sweden. It uses three main prefabricated solid wood elements: three-layer cross-laminated timber (CLT) exterior walls, hybrid three-layer CLT and glulam floors, and interior three-layer CLT bearing partition walls. Structurally, CLT floors act as stiff plates to transfer wind loads to CLT and stud framed stabilizing shear walls. The prefabricated floor elements are designed with an internal air gap as well as being lined with insulation to improve acoustics. Limnologen is an example of how new wood buildings in Valle Broar are meeting the districts' goal of improving design, fabrication, and construction processes with each new timber building.
