Description
Without a crystal ball, we don’t always know what we will need from the buildings of the future, even though we are building them today. As such, to create truly sustainable buildings for the long term, it’s clear that the ability to adapt and change buildings will be crucial to their longevity. This is where Omniplan, developers of BRF iValla, saw the benefits of building in wood. The four-storey, 20 apartment building in Linköping has exceptional levels of flexibility thanks to a gulam beam structure with suspended floor panels, eliminating the need for internal loadbearing walls. The project was made possible thanks to a highly ambitious local municipality acting as a driving force for change.
BRF iValla’s timber structure allows for each floor to be configured independently, and with maximum flexibility, with the stairs and elevators external to the timber frame. Plumbing, cables and the like are all housed in accessible units in the flooring, which are easily changed and extended to allow new systems to be added over time, meaning that modular kitchens and bathrooms can be shifted around with speed and ease. Even the external walls can be adapted, allowing for balconies, doors and windows to be adjusted to the needs of the building’s users. The project has developed the idea of ‘byggherregemenskaper’, with a focus on distributed, local equity.
With the elements prefabricated off-site, it took just seven months to complete one block – about half the time it takes to build with concrete. The construction site was innovative too, with the roof rising above each floor as the building grew to keep elements protected from the weather.
Back to cases 
