In a striking showcase of timber construction, Oslotre Architects has completed the Lumber 4 building in Kristiansand, Norway. This mixed-use structure, located in an industrial area on the city’s outskirts, demonstrates the economic and environmental benefits of timber as a primary building material.
Lumber 4, the largest mass timber commercial building in southern Norway, encompasses 3,106 square meters over six floors. The design employs a composite structure of cross-laminated timber (CLT) and concrete. Oslotre, known for its innovative timber designs, served as architect, interior architect, and structural engineer for the project.
The ground floor houses commercial spaces and is designed to follow the curve of the adjacent road. Meanwhile, the upper five office floors jut outwards with prominent timber beams, creating a contrast between curving lines and hard edges.
Timber design embraces natural products and biophilia
The building’s facade features a checkerboard pattern of glazed openings and curved green timber panels. These panels create a unique visual effect, with the eaves casting shadows that will cause the paint to weather over time, resulting in a changing facade with varying tones of green.
Inside, the building boasts high ceilings and large windows, creating bright and open workspaces. Biophilic elements of white-pigmented spruce panels and exposed wood-wool acoustic panels leave the space feeling calm and tranquil.
The third and fourth floors are connected by a double-height atrium featuring a wooden staircase and a central light fitting. White-pigmented spruce panels and exposed wood-wool acoustic panels adorn the walls and ceilings, while exposed ducting painted in pale beige blends with the wooden surfaces.
“Wooded elements are prominently displayed in the interior, providing warmth in winter and cooling in summer,” added the studio.
Lumber 4’s construction was rapid and efficient, thanks to a high degree of prefabrication, which also contributed to a 53 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The building now serves as the headquarters for several Green Tech companies.
Photographs by Kyrre Sundal and Christoffer Imislund.
Content Team
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