Circular wood construction in Aarhus

Denmark's tallest wooden building is remarkable in many ways. It sets new standards for circular construction and the aesthetic expression of modern buildings.

Aarhus' South Harbour District is undergoing rapid development and transitioning from being solely a harbour to an extension of the city centre. TRÆ (TREE), as the three buildings are called, are 78 and 27 metres tall, respectively, thereby breaking the record as the tallest wooden buildings in the country. The buildings are constructed with solid wood columns and solid wood floor decks. The core, which includes a lift, consists of concrete.

TRÆ is a multi-user office building, where the ground floors are reserved for shops and showrooms with access to outdoor areas. The three buildings are beautifully woven into the South Harbour District with a red ramp that winds around the buildings and connects to the historic Kulbro bridge. In the future, Kulbro will be routed across a busy street, connecting the South Harbour District with the rest of the city centre. Lendager are the architects for the project, and they have worked consciously to turn problems into potential in terms of the reuse of building materials and residual products.

Recycling of materials

Even though the building is made of wood, legislation prevents the facade from also being made of wood. Instead, the choice was made to create a very special facade using a dismantled steel roof from a housing association with accompanying solar shading made from disused wind turbine blades. There are many challenges in reusing building materials, but also great potential in efforts to minimise the carbon footprint and challenge the current aesthetic norm.

In the Companyons' co-working space on the first floor, Troldtekt panels in natural wood from another building are used. The Troldtekt ceilings do not show signs of wear and tear and therefore blend in nicely with the overall design. Troldtekt panels in natural wood were also used for the building’s toilet partitions.

Some materials are recycled from renovation projects, while others are surplus materials or discarded parts. On one floor of the centre building, experiments with the recycling of floors and ceilings were carried out, while on two other floors, the architects have experimented with upcycled and bio-based materials. Part of the purpose of TRÆ is to generate knowledge and learn from the project.