SCA Wood Magazine 1/2020, ENG

SCA

Wood Magazine 1/2020

Wood First and Ask Questions Later

For Swedish architect Gert Wingårdh wood is the first consideration in every project.

IKEA CHOSE PINE FOR ITS SUSTAINABILITY. FORESTRY FOR THE PLANET’S FUTURE. INSPIRED RECYCLING AND INTERIOR DESIGN.

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Wood – Then, Now and Forever

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HROUGHOUT MY LIFE I have been surrounded by wood and, like so many others, I have a warm relationship with this versatile material.

We wake up in a bed made of wood, put our feet down on a wooden floor and spend time in the forest to relax. We frame artworks in wood and build our houses of timber. As architect Gert Wingårdh.

He has designed some of S ­ candinavia’s most striking wooden b ­ uildings and on page ten he tells us why timber is always his first choice.

Recycling allows us to reuse wood time and time again.

An old barn can become a new house and decking can be transformed into furniture – climate smart, sustainable and aesthetically pleasing.

Small-scale forestry makes it profitable for the owners of woodland in developing countries to care for their land in the long term. And managed forests bind far more carbon dioxide than mature or old-growth forests.

By using renewable raw materials from the forest, instead of fossil fuels and materials, we reduce our climate impact and move in the direction of what has been termed the bio­ economy; a way of living that does not consume the earth’s finite resources. Perhaps you are even wearing a garment made from wood today!

You can read about it all in this magazine – about the materials, the environment, the ­opportunities and, not least, the feel of wood.

I was raised in Västerbotten, in northern Sweden’s interior where the forest is a given part of everyday life. Together, we have a responsibility to ensure that it remains so – throughout the world.

This is why we have chosen to focus on sustainability in this first issue of SCA Wood Magazine.

Pleasant reading!

JERRY LARSSON P R E S I D E N T, S C A W O O D

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Contents 4 CLIMATE BENEFIT WITH DUAL EFFECT Growing forests and wooden products.

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8 BACK TO THE ROOTS Jennie Adén creates of what the forest has to offer.

10 “ I WANT TO BUILD MORE IN WOOD!” Architect Gert Wingårdh spearheads timber construction.

24 HIGHER QUALITY OF LIFE Small-scale forestry key to lasting prosperity.

16 IKEA IS MAKING THE MOST OF SWEDISH PINE Hejne – long-lasting storage system sparks creativity.

30 TOWARDS A FOSSIL-FREE FUTURE Model for calculating climate benefit gains momentum.

18 WOODEN DESIGN WITH EXTREME PRECISION The striking new Swatch headquarters.

32 RECYCLING GIVES HEARTWOOD PINE NEW LIFE The internet loves Petra Nyborg’s passion for recycling.

36 BUILD A TABLE! Learn to create new things from scrap.

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38 COMMITMENT THAT BUILDS A BETTER WORLD Enterprising initiatives goes from local to international.

42 MEMORIES OF A HOUSE BEFORE ITS TIME Nicholas Sitaras remembers the solar house in Greece.

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As Europe’s largest private forest owner, SCA grasps the dual opportunity to contribute to a sustainable and fossil-free world. Responsible management provides growing forests that bind even more carbon dioxide than oldgrowth forests. When wood products replace steel and concrete and paper replaces plastics, we also reduce emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Renewable energy and the continuous reduction of fossil fuels further increase our climate benefit.

C L I M AT E

B E N E F I T

W I T H

D U A L TEXT JENNIE ZETTERQVIST

GROWING FORESTS CAPTURE CARBON DIOXIDE

WOOD RAW MATERIALS REPLACE FOSSIL-BASED

SCA’s growing forests with their increasing timber stock captures net

When alternative products manufactured from forest biomass replace fossil-based materials, we can afford to leave coal ­untouched underground, saving our atmosphere from

5.4 million tonnes of CO2 per year.

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PHOTO ADOBE STOCK

+

6.0

million tonnes of CO2 per year.

D I D Y O U K N O W T H A T …

SCA’s climate benefits 2019 of 10,5 million tonnes of CO2 equals the total emissions from all car traffic in Sweden?

Would you lik e to learn more ?

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ad th e in te rv iew wi th SCA’s su st ai na bi lit y di re ctor Ka ta rin a Ko la r on pa ge 30 .

EFFECT

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AN ALMOST FOSSIL-FREE VALUE CHAIN

TOTAL CLIMATE BENEFIT

SCA’s production is almost fossil-free. While transports still require fossil fuel, this is something that the organisation is working hard to reduce.

SCA’s total emissions are

In total, SCA’s operations are climate positive and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by

0.9

million tonnes of CO2 per year.

=

10.5 million tonnes of CO2 per year.

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M A J O R F O O D R E TA I L E R BUILDS WOODEN STORE

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SWEDISH SUPERMARKET CHAIN Ica is building its first store entirely from Swedish solid wood in Lindvallen, Sälenfjällen.

As one of Sweden’s major food retailers, Ica is keen to contribute to a more sustainable society and the building’s emphasis on sustainability applies to both the design and choice of materials, which are inspired by local building traditions.

All of the timber used comes from northern Sweden.

“Building from Swedish forests is good for both the climate and rural Sweden. Wood is a sustainable, long-term choice of material and we believe that there is enormous ­potential for building more in wood in our future projects,” says Lena Boberg, CEO of Ica Fastigheter.

A geothermal solution is expected to be completed during the winter of 2020/21, which will ensure year-round efficient heating and cooling with minimal energy consumption all over the store.

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WOODEN CITY

VÄ XJÖ HAS BEEN NAMED Sweden’s Wooden City of the Year 2019. The prize, awarded for the first time in 2019, goes to the town or city that has most purposefully and farsightedly invested in wooden construction.

NTT Woodnet and Stora Enso are behind the prize and confirm that “Växjö was a clear winner no matter what metric was used”.

The award is a source of considerable pride in Växjö, where it is seen as recognition for the sustainable built environment that so many stakeholders have worked for over a long period.

“I hope that many others will follow in our footsteps and choose climate-smart construction,” says Anna Tenje, mayor of Växjö.

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PHOTO LILJEWALL ARKITEKTER

OF THE YEAR

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200 pairs of pants can be made from the fibres from a single normal-sized tree.

Timeless wooden house wins prize THE HUDDINGE MUNICIPALIT Y

was awarded to a unique single-family home designed by architect Gert Wingårdh. The building, which utilises natural colours and materials, has been described as “timeless and understated”. The surrounding landscape and vegetation has been preserved and the municipality sees the prize-winning house as a much-appreciated contribution to the beautification of Huddinge.

BUILDING PRIZE 2019

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PHOTO MAGNUS FRÖDERBERG

Source: Skogsindustrierna

Almost 6,000 people from 95 countries registered their interest in taking part; of these, 100 were selected by lottery to assist locals in conducting maintenance and other measures, such as erecting new signposts along hiking trails and new wooden railings along steep sections. The campaign, dubbed Closed for Maintenance, Open for Voluntourism, is part of a major initiative by Visit Faroe Islands aimed at ensuring a sustainable future for the archipelago and its tourist industry.

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“CLOSED FOR MAINTENANCE”, that’s the message that will greet anyone hoping to visit the Faroe Islands between 15–17 April.

The beautiful and rugged North Atlantic archipelago is attracting increasing numbers of tourists and in order to ensure that this remains viable in the long term, the islands will be repeating the successful 2019 clean-up campaign covering the 14 most popular tourist attractions.

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S K I S TA R S P R E A D S T H E W O R D ABOUT THE POWER OF THE FOREST cross-country skier Charlotte Kalla helps young people to discover the power of the forest. In collaboration with SCA, elite international skier started Kalla Champs, a woodland challenge competition aimed at inspiring youngsters to get out more often to enjoy nature.

Charlotte herself grew up with the forest around the corner and she is keen to see more people take advantage of its proven positive effect on wellbeing.

“I now realise what a gift I was given early in life. As an elite athlete I feel enormous gratitude. The forest is really my office, no matter the time of year,” she says.

“It feels fantastic to be able to do this and I hope to have the opportunity to meet young people at Kalla Champs for many years to come.”

O DANIEL BERNS T

ÅL

MULTIPLE OLYMPIC GOLD -MEDAL WINNING

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Closed for Cleaning

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Back to the Roots TEXT JENNIE ZETTERQVIST

PHOTO JENNIE ADÉN

Imagine that one day there is nothing manufactured ready for you to buy; if you need an object, you will have to make it yourself from whatever nature has to offer. For designer Jennie Adén, a pine log from her family’s woodland resulted in both a stool that has been exhibited at international furniture fairs and a deepened respect for local resources.

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HE TERM LOCALLY PRODUCED is taken to a new level in Down to Earth, Jennie Adén’s degree project from Beckmans College of Design in Stockholm. Nature was allowed to determine the conditions when Jennie set out to collect raw materials on her families property in Värmland.

“My vision for this project was to draw attention to the materials we actually have all around us. It is becoming increasingly important for both designers and manufacturers to take responsibility for sustainability and make use of easily a­ccessible raw materials that might have fallen into obscurity,” says Jennie Adén, whose work also includes polypore, a fungus that lives on trees, pressed into moulds to produce boxes, and a slate fireplace.

She chiselled out two stools from the pine stock, combining the natural appearance with very deliberate dimensions.

“Wood is the material that to me feels like the most obvious choice. It is the first thing that comes to mind when you think about the forest’s resources – and it is also the most predictable. It has such a broad area of use while at the same time it is unique in that one can only go out into the forest and create one piece of furniture from it,” says Jennie.

HER DESIGN WAS PL ANNED in minute detail using sketches and scraps of wood.

With only a single log at her disposal, it was crucial to cut precisely once the chainsaw finally came out.

“I wanted to access the robust, stable and tactile feel of an organic form, inspired by its origin, but I have also put a great deal of work into the proportions in order to create the right balance; quite simply, a stock with a coherent design.”

THE STOOLS WERE L ATER produced in pine and exhibited at both Milan Design Week and the London Design Fair through various collaborations. The stools have been warmly received and enquiries have rolled in. As well as offering an appealing item of furniture, Jennie is keen to highlight the inherent value in Swedish wood, which is both I highly topical and historically sustainable material.

“I have personally gained enormous respect for natural materials and the opportunities they offer, simply by physically going out and collecting them. There has been no room for experimentation as the limitations have been so clear. This made it even more important to put time and thought into immediately creating a useful object.”

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Jennie AdĂŠn.

In addition to the wooden stool, the Down to Earth collection includes boxes made of fungus (polypore), a slate fireplace, woollen mats and elk-skin bowls. All of the raw materials were collected from a small area of woodland in Värmland.

The stool has been chosen for exhibition at international design fairs where it has garnered a good deal of interest, including the Swedish Design Pavilion at the London Design Fair.

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The Wingårdhs architectural practice has created many of Scandinavia’s most ­expressive buildings. Its founder, Gert Wingårdh, is motivated by designing buildings that touch people’s lives, something that he has consistently succeeded in over the past 40 years. The practice is now putting a pioneering foot forward in contributing to sustainable construction without compromising on artistic ambition.

“We propose wood as the first choice in all of our projects. This is the very best way for us to actively influence carbon dioxide emissions,” explains Gert Wingårdh.

“ I want to build more in wood!”

TEXT JENNIE ZETTERQVIST

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PHOTO BODIL BERGQVIST

in red as Friday dawns over Gothenburg. At Kungsgatan 10A, the floors occupied by the head office of the ­Wingårdhs architectural practice begin to fill with staff. With its verdant street-level reception, the office opens its arms to visitors and passers-by alike. Although Wingårdhs has occupied the same address since the 1980s, the glass-fronted former retail premises facing the street is a new addition that illustrates the practice’s ambition to become more public – both in outlook and insight.

HE JANUARY SK Y IS AFL AME

SUSTAINABLE JOB SATISFACTION

Architects and engineers enter, exchange greetings and make a brief stop in the stripped-down kitchen, before disappearing up into the building heading for their desks, coffee mugs in hand. Gert Wingårdh himself has an intensive morning ahead; a working day that should have been spent here in his hometown must now find time for a trip to Oslo. As the sole owner of this architectural practice of 220 employees, he is engaged and involved in many projects that demand his personal presence at crucial junctures.

Many Swedes have long recognised him as one of the ­country’s foremost architects and, through his involvement in the television programme Husdrömmar (Dream Houses) he has also become something of a national treasure. He began his own practice in 1977 at the age of 26 and still goes to work everyday with a spring in his step. When others unwind, he goes up a gear.

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“I went through a period after I reached 50 when I felt a great need for recovery; however, after 60 I work myself into shape,” he affirms.

SHOWING THE WAY WITH WOOD

When visiting Wingårdhs it is readily apparent that wood is a hot topic. SCA Wood Magazine receives a warm welcome ­during a tour of the office, especially when our business and the theme of the article become known. “How appropriate! We do everything in wood these days,” says one architect with a grin.

Wingårdhs has explored the positive impact of managed ­forests on greenhouse gas emissions in considerable depth.

Their conclusion is that the practice’s greatest opportunity for contributing to increased sustainability is to consistently propose a building material that is renewable and that binds carbon dioxide throughout its lifetime.

“I want to build more in wood!” says Gert Wingårdh, “and there is no better way for us to actively influence carbon dioxide emissions than to propose wood as the first choice for all of our projects. Naturally, we are no strangers to other materials but these days we begin with timber as the framing material unless the customer specifically requests something else.”

This decision reinforces the impression of a pioneering company that has the courage to take the lead. Experience has shown that those who have acquired this knowledge can bring benefits to everyone involved. Gert Wingårdh draws a parallel with the issue of the accessibility adaption of buildings that took off around 20 years ago, when architectural practices

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For the addition to Universeum, Wingårdhs has created an eye-catching dome clad with cedar chippings.

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A Japanese-inspired weather shelter nominated for the Swedish Wood Award 2020. The model can be seen at Wingårdhs.

The real construction is at Vasaplan in Umeå. The roof is 160 metres in length and 10 metres wide.

were criticised for failing to take the issue sufficiently seriously in implementing their projects.

“We took that criticism on board, did our research and learned a great deal above and beyond the statutory requirements, which in turn meant that we could actively question our clients. It became apparent that by having superior knowledge we could also often get our own way,” he explains.

Something similar is happening now in terms of wood as a building material.

“Now as then, it is probably primarily perceived as an exchange of knowledge between us and the client; of course, there are projects where wood is not appropriate but in most of our housing and office projects it actually is.

In Wingårdh’s assessment, the practice is in a position to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 50% through the considered use of wood instead of materials such as steel and concrete in their buildings. The company has recruited wooden building specialist Dan Wilhelmsson specifically to

participate in the early stages of projects together with the architect and client. His expertise is also useful in addressing other wood-related issues covering everything from fire safety and acoustics to construction techniques.

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HI-TECH WOODEN DOME

One of the public wooden building projects currently being planned in the office is the extension to Gothenburg’s Universeum science centre. The existing building, which has been described as “an enormous, modern wooden box”, was completed in 2001 and is one of Gert Wingårdh’s personal favourites.

“There are many reasons for that; in part, the raw aesthetic is close to my heart than many other expressions that we work with and partly because the building grew from a really enjoyable process in which we collaborated with public authorities, the business sector, the University of Gothenburg, Chalmers University of Technology and the West Sweden Chamber of Commerce,” he explains.

That the exuberant atmosphere of Universeum succeeds in making young people aware of science also contributes to its status as a favourite project.

“Not only that, but half a million people pass through the building every year, something that few of our other buildings can match,” says Gert Wingårdh.

Universeum was already on the drawing board in 1998.

The dynamic organisation demanded a flexible building, making wood the obvious choice of material. For the new extension, Wingårdhs has created a striking wooden dome with a diameter of 26.4 metres. The building will use digital technology to visualise science and illustrate complex events in the world’s first visualisation laboratory. At the same time, Universeum will receive an elevated profile.

“The most exciting thing will be to see how the sphere itself, the visualisation dome, is formed of polyhedrons. Universeum is the perfect arena for exploring new solutions,” says Gert Wingårdh.

The building will be clad in cedar chipboard, manufactured from waste from sawing cedar logs. The chipboard panels are delicate to the touch yet extremely durable, a necessity in the heavy urban traffic and periodic extreme weather ­conditions affecting the coastal city. The naturally greying colour shifts that occur over time will provide the facade with a varied, vibrant surface.

ENERGY-SMART IN RECORD TIME

Universeum was a pioneering project in terms of the kind of sustainable building that has gone from exception to rule over recent decades. This development has been rapid without being hurried. Gert Wingårdh recalls the Bo01 Malmö housing exposition of 2001 as being the starting pistol for a considerably more energy efficient building industry. This was when new requirements were set for a maximum energy consumption of 110 KWh per square metre and year. At that time, the majority of production was at around 200 KWh a year while today it has

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come down to 75, with 50 KWh per square metre being technically feasible.

“This is a quarter of the original consumption, which I would call excellent progress! Unlike many others, I think that the architectural industry has been remarkably quick to adapt.

The level of acceptance is 100% and talking about energyefficient housing today is like preaching to the choir. It goes without saying,” says Gert Wingårdh.

A MATERIAL CHOICE THAT LIFTS A PROJECT

Gert Wingårdh has been highly aware of sustainable building for a great many years now; as early as 1988 he was awarded Sweden’s most prestigious architectural prize, the Kasper Salin Prize, for Öijared Country Club, a project in which wood, strong climate awareness, local materials and low energy consumption played a crucial role.

In addition to wood’s climate-friendly attributes, Gert feels that one of its appealing aspects is the uncomplicated relationship so many people have with the material. Its decorative characteristics are deeply rooted and much loved.

“As a material, wood has always been used for interiors as it provides a warmth and colour scale that is much appreciated in Scandinavia. Whitewashing also achieves the bright, fresh feeling that has long been in demand.

More public buildings should be built of wood,” believes Gert Wingårdh, who also sees great possibilities for other public structures.

“We are looking at projects with wooden road bridges and parking garages. These are not a reality as yet but they certainly will be within the near future. We see no limitations to what wood can achieve.”

A UNIQUE COMPANY FOR BUILDING IN WOOD The newly formed company SBU Framtid is a collaboration ­b etween architects from Wingårdhs, housing developers from SBU and building contractors from JSB – all with the common goal of providing more opportunities for better living, primarily in wooden homes. The company’s combined expertise is unique in Sweden and the intention of the collaboration is to create costeffective but artistically architectural environments.

The company is off to a flying start with eight projects in four Swedish towns. First out of the blocks is Kilströmskaj in UNESCO World Heritage city Karlskrona, a project that emphasises the construction of large-scale wooden apartment buildings.

T H R E E O F G E RT W I N G Å R D H ’ S W O O D E N FAV O U R I T E S

KILSTRÖMSKAJ,

CEMETERY PAVILION,

STRANDPARKEN,

KARLSKRONA

SUNDBYBERG

SUNDBYBERG

“The homes are divided between three ­b uildings grouped around a common ­c ourtyard that opens onto the waterfront.

The focal point is a cross-laminated building composed of relatively complex forms. As we are developing the site ourselves, we are able to take a chance by increasing the level of complexity and identifying new details.”

“Here we have protected the wood in the building behind a layer of green, reflective glass. Wood is not always the best, most resilient surface layer and in several projects we have therefore used sheet material to clad the buildings.” The pavilion has been nominated for the Swedish Wood Award 2020.

“This eight-storey building with a frame and external walls of cross-laminated timber will be widely recognised and is much ­a ppreciated. The facade is clad with cedar chipboard. A flagship building.”

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» In addition to its architectural merits, the wooden frame also has a significantly lower carbon footprint. « GERT WINGÅRDH

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TEXT HÅKAN NORBERG

PHOTO IKEA

Ikea is making the most of Swedish pine The Hejne shelf is designed for heavy duty use in a basement or garage, but it can also be seen in living rooms or built to house the family pets. This is all well and good, as far as Ikea is concerned. The Swedish furniture giant just want their customers to make use of their products for as long as possible.

“We chose pine for Hejne because it’s renewable, long-lasting and hard-wearing.

It’s sustainable, says Joshua Cooling,” Product Design Developer at Ikea.

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at home? What are their frustrations? Their dreams? What do they want to improve? These are some of the questions that Ikea asks when developing a new product. Then, the design process starts with the pricetag.

Joshua Cooling is a Product Design Developer and has worked at Ikea for more than ten years, first in his native Australia and now at Ikea ground zero, in Älmhult, Sweden.

“We start by setting a low price for the product, then we work to make the most out of that when it comes to form, function, quality and sustainability,” he says.

HAT DO PEOPLE NEED

WOOD FROM SUSTAINABLE SOURCES

Ikea is putting a lot of effort into making their products as sustainable as possible. When it comes to wooden products that means using wood from sustainable sources, using more parts of each tree and producing where the trees are sourced.

“That’s one of the great benefits of working for such a large company, that our choices ­really can make a difference,” says Joshua.

High-quality Swedish pine, manufactured to specifications maximizing the use of the wood, wrapped with as little packing material as pos-

Joshua Cooling, Product Design Developer, Ikea.

FACTS In 2019 Ikea sold 3.8 million pieces (shelves and posts) of Hejne. That’s around 1.5 million units. About 2.2 million pieces came from the Bollsta sawmill outside of Kramfors in the north of Sweden.

sible, ready to be delivered to customers.

That is what Ikea is getting when producing the Hejne shelf at Bollsta sawmill in the north of Sweden.

“It is a fully automated production process which guarantees the quality, while at the same time keeping the price down for our customers,” says Joshua.

About a year ago, Joshua Cooling and a few of his colleagues from Ikea visited the SCA sawmill in Bollsta to see the production of the Hejne shelf firsthand.

“We always want to use as much of the wood as possible, and SCA shares this ambition. Trying to find use for the scrap can give birth to new ideas, both for ways to maximize the current production and for entirely new products,” says Joshua.

LONG-LASTING FURNITURE

Hejne is a sturdy and strong storage system for the basement, garage or attic. The solid wood is untreated and can be personalized in a number of ways. And people really are using it everywhere and for just about everything, which is evident all over the internet.

“We love seeing people being creative with our products and finding all sorts of use for them. Our goal is that the customers use our furniture for a very long time,” says Joshua.

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TEXT SARA BERGQVIST

U N I Q U E

PHOTO JAN BOLOMEY

WO O D E N

D E S I G N

WITH EXTREME PRECISION Clockmaker Swatch’s new head office winds through the landscape like a snake. Designed by award-winning architect Shigeru Ban, the building not only boasts unique architecture in which every element down to the finest detail has its place – it is also one of the world’s largest timber building projects.

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HERE IS A GRE AT DE AL that is unique about this building, the headquarters of Swatch in the Swiss town of Biel. First and foremost, of course, there is the architecture. The 240-metre building winds along the River Schüss like a shimmering snake; however, architect Shigeru Ban offers a more pragmatic description.

“The building’s shape is a natural consequence of the L-shaped site. The head of the L is the building’s entrance while the other side is used for loading bays,” he explains.

The curved timber grid frame forms the facade, roof and load-bearing structure. In total, the building consists of 4,600 wooden beams, all of which are unique. The material of choice was Swiss spruce, which was glue laminated into three types of beam – straight, single curve and double curve – depending on the loads they were required to bear.

Double curve beams are used where the loads are greatest.

“If you stand on the roof you can see that the grid has a primary and secondary direction. Each section of the grid consists of two layers in each direction. The grid lines in the primary direction carry the greatest loads but the secondary

elements are also load bearing,” explains Jan Hempel, architect responsible for 3-D modelling at Blumer-Lehmann, which was responsible for engineering the timber frame.

EXTREME PRECISION

The longest grid line, which consists of a row of coupled ­elements, is 120 metres in length, while the longest individual element is 13 metres. The junctions, which recur every two to three metres, do not contain any steel components but are made up of ingeniously milled interlocking parts.

Advanced 3-D modelling and parametric design were used in order to achieve the necessary exacting precision.

All elements were then sawn in advanced CNC machines to extreme tolerances.

“This involved a level of precision between 0.5 and 1 millimetre for each individual element and 0.1 millimetre at junctions,” says Jan Hempel.

The building was divided into 13 sections and con­ struction started approximately in the middle. This provided for an efficient construction process involving building outwards in two directions simultaneously.

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Shigeru Ban.

SWATCH HEADQUARTERS IN BIEL, SWITZERLAND

The 240-metre-long building resembles a snake winding through the landscape.

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As soon as the base elements were anchored, it was possible to work from the bottom up on each long side, finally meeting at the top of the frame.

“It was a fantastic feeling on the day we connected the final elements of the grid and could see that everything ­fitted as we had calculated,” says Jan Hempel.

Given that every element of the construction was unique, one of the challenges was to ensure that the right component was in the right place at the right time. It would not have been possible to mill and store the vast number of curved elements of up to 13 metres in length in advance.

The elements were therefore sawn and delivered to site in the exact order they were required.

“Another challenge was that all technical installations, such as ventilation and electricity, needed to be drawn through the grid structure, rather than between floors as would normally be the case. This too required meticulous advanced planning,” explains Jan Hempel.

SWATCH, OMEGA AND CITÉ DU TEMPS

With its 18 brands, the Swatch Group is a world leader in watches. The new headquarters is one of three units in a major building project to gather the group’s brands. In addition to the Swatch building, the project consists of Cité du Temps, which among other things houses the Omega and Swatch museums, and the Omega factory with manufacturing and warehousing facilities.

“All of the buildings are constructed in timber, designed

by Shigeru Ban and engineered by us,” says Jan Hempel.

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Architect: Shigeru Ban Architects.

Client: Swatch Ltd. Engineers: Blumer-Lehmann.

Design and construction period: 2011–2019.

Cost: Swatch and Omega ­buildings: CHF 220 million.

The Omega factory is located slightly further away, while Cité du Temps and the Swatch building are directly connected. The Swatch HQ’s grill roof continues across the road between the two buildings and lands on the roof of Cité di Temps – looking from above like a snake head biting into the other building. The two buildings are also linked by a glazed walkway.

The interior of the Swatch building covers 25,000 m2 over four floors. In addition to offices and storage space, there are also extensive conference facilities, a public cafeteria on the ground floor, five large olive trees rising over two storeys and a reading and brainstorming area on the second floor, designed as a staircase that leads nowhere.

PHOTOVOLTAICS UTILISE SOLAR ENERGY

The building’s grid structure is reproduced in the flat glass facade above the entrance. This begins at 5.5 metres and rises to 22 metres where it meets the roof elements. The exterior roof cladding consists of several different materials that vary from one roof cassette – or snake scale, if you prefer – to the next . This includes both transparent window elements and solid sections.

Like the other two buildings in the project, large parts of the roof are also covered with solar panels. In the case of the Switch building, 1,770 of the total 11,000 square metres of roof area are covered. The calculated annual electricity production is approximately 213 MWh, which is equivalent to the annual consumption of 61 Swiss households.

“I hate to waste resources,” says architect Shigeru Ban.

All elements of the grid-patterned timber frame – which transitions seamlessly from walls to roof – are load bearing.

All technical installations such as ventilation and electricity are drawn directly through the grid structure, something that demanded meticulous planning prior to manufacturing the various elements.

Every one of the 4,600 individual wooden elements is unique, its specific form occurring only once within the building.

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TEXT HÅKAN NORBERG PHOTO JOTUN

SMART TIMBER PRODUCTS An easier everyday life for both professional and do-it-yourself builders: this is the goal behind SCA’s SmartTimber concept – innovations that save time, simplify jobs, increase climate benefit and make your projects more cost-effective.

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ADD THE F I N A L C OAT TO CLADDING WHEN IT SUITS YOU You can have your cladding delivered in the colour of your choice from Jotun.

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an d in fo rm at io n on sc as m ar tti m be r.c om

The most time-consuming work is already done and you can finish what remains at your leisure, anytime within the next two years. Primed cladding is the answer to many questions regarding new timber facades. and therefore a sustainable choice.

Wooden cladding is also simple to install and makes it easy to install outdoor lighting and other attachments. That said, undercoating and priming cladding is a time-consuming and expensive process as untreated wood absorbs so much of the paint painstakingly applied by brush. By choosing primed cladding you avoid these tasks – and you get better results.

Primed cladding from SCA SmartTimber is painted in the factory under ­optimal conditions, in the correct environment and with the right amount of paint and primer. Spillage is minimal and all waste products are sustainably handled.

You can choose your own colour and then finish painting at your leisure as priming makes the timber highly weather resistant and protects cladding for up to two years after installation.

TIMBER IS A RENEWABLE MATERIAL

> Ready Coated Engineered Mouldings Engineering timber enhances the natural attributes of wood making it more stable and straight. For SCA it also means using as much of each tree as possible, making the production sustainable.

SCA SmartTimber has a wide range of architraves and skirtings, machined to a high standard and ready coated, saving time on site. No knots, great strength and with a superior finish.

> Improved range of pressure-impregnated decking SCA’s new X-Ray 2.0 pressure-impregnated decking is ready for installation in outdoor environments on delivery. The decking maintains structural stability and quality and leaves very little waste. These are quite simply stylish planks that offer high moisture resistance.

Pressure-impregnated timber from SCA SmartTimber always comes with a 20-year warranty against rot.

> With finger-jointed glulam, straight studs are the rule Finger-jointed glulam is an excellent choice for internal studwork. Construction timber from SCA SmartTimber is manufactured from dried, glue-laminated Swedish pine.

This provides consistently straight high-quality studs, leading to more efficient building projects, less waste and greater cost-effectiveness. In other words, smarter timber.

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Every year, vast areas of forest are depleted and disappear all over the world, a development that has a major impact on the climate.

A market-oriented, small-scale and restorative utilisation of forests in the world’s poorer countries may be a strategy for higher living standards and a reduced climate threat.

F O R E S T RY

F O R

T H E

PLANET’S FUTURE T E X T M AT S W I G A R D T

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HEN CYCLONE IDAI made landfall in southern Africa in March 2019 it caused ­massive destruction along the east coast, ­leaving many dead and infrastructure in ruins. Communities further inland fared ­somewhat better however.

Some 150 kilometres from the devastated coastal city of Beira in Mozambique, perched on the East African Rift, is a vast forest landscape that in many places has been reduced to sparsely wooded or even deforested areas.

This is also where LevasFlor, the province’s largest sawmill and joinery, is located. Thanks to harvesting methods that have largely left the forest canopy intact, with trees protecting one another, a few dislodged roof tiles were the only damage in the wake of the cyclone.

“The heavy rains left the roads impassable and cut off contact with the outside world, and therefore with many of our customers,” explains Nils von Sydow, who has long experience of forestry in Mozambique and southern Africa. Since 2015, he has been responsible for the project started several years earlier by the Church of Sweden’s Västerås Parish in order to raise money for the impoverished church in Mozambique.

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PHOTO LEVASFLOR

the project was rebooted with new Swedish owners. The vision remained the same, meaning increasing the number of employees, managing the forest while retaining FSC certification and continuing to process wood harvested from its own forest and cut at its own sawmill.

“It worked fairly well,” confirms Nils von Sydow. The intention was also to further develop the project, with new management plans, more products of a higher quality and lower energy ­consumption, as well as better anchoring in the local market.

Klas Bengtsson and Aaron Kaplan were approached to provide assistance in the form of forestry and industrial ­experience from Sweden and a number of other countries, in order to rebuild and update the company, its forest management and working methods.

Klas Bengtsson has a wealth of experience of forestry, sawmills and small-scale timber industries. Aaron Kaplan’s background is in business development.

Within the framework of the Eco Innovation Foundation, with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) as strategic partners, they have developed their ideas about global forestry.

TEN YE ARS L ATER ,

» From largescale destruction to long-term sustainable forest management. «

The Good Wood Program is the Foundation’s attempt to reverse the trend from large-scale deforestation to long-term, sustainable forest management in countries south of the equator.

AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE Y BELIEVE THAT this can be achieved by managing forests according to the Swedish model, with well-planned measures such as clearing, felling and planting.

They also advocate market-driven, local manufacturing of products as something that can motivate those with rights to the forest – in many cases poor farmers with small holdings – to use the income from timber-based, long-term forestry to protect and restore their woodland.

“Low capital costs with competitive production systems, sustainable forestry and local development is the foundation on which we stand,” concludes Klas Bengtsson.

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Enrichment planting to speed forest recovery.

» We care for the forest instead of impoverishing it. « N I L S V O N S Y D O W, F O R E S T E R

>

This has proven to be a concept well suited to LevasFlor in ­Mozambique, where there is an existing company to develop, with its own forest, social commitment and production adapted to existing infrastructure, covering everything from planks and ­pallets to furniture and railway sleepers; most of which is intended for the local market. the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth and in collaboration with the Swedish company Logosol, which manufactures equipment for small-scale wood processing, a new band sawmill was developed for a dormant 40,000-hectare raw materials asset of sparse but still valuable ­forest that otherwise might have vanished.

Protection against slash and burn stands or falls depending on LevasFlor’s success. The hope is that the new band sawmill will contribute to opening doors to new markets in Africa and Europe that demand high quality and provide higher returns.

“We care for the forest rather than impoverishing it,” explains Nils von Sydow. The long-term aim is to restore economic and ­ecological value. The greatest threat against the forest is people, unless the local population can be offered alternatives to defor­ estation, the forest will continue to be stripped.

And for Africa, with its enormous distances, inadequate road network, informal economies, post-colonial structures and low ­levels of education, the huge capital investment required for a coastal sawmill is not a particularly good solution.

“Expensive, short-sighted and bad for the environment,” ­concludes Klas Bengtsson. “It would be better, easier and more sustainable to harvest, saw, dry and process timber on a smaller scale, as near to the forest and local community as possible.”

WITH SUPPORT FROM

NILS VON SYDOW ALSO hopes that the example of LevasFlor can be upscaled as one of the solutions to the global climate crisis, with a business model that encourages the protection and restoration of

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Parquet packages stacked for delivery and further processing. New investment brings greater care and more attractive quality.

A suitability assessment based on a number of criteria is conducted before each tree is felled.

With a steady hand on the levers, Joao steers the log towards the saw blade.

It requires three people to lift the heavy cant for further processing in the next machine on the saw line.

>

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Carefully selective felling means long distances between timber stacks. Small vehicles with a low impact on the land transport the timber onwards to the sawmill.

>

All logs are marked with a number code that traces the timber back to the stump.

Timber is left to air-dry before being processed into wall panels.

the world’s forests. According to many researchers, combining the managed use of forests with their protection is a viable route towards reversing current developments.

“Naturally growing forests have a stable and beneficial carbon dynamic at the same time as being of great value to biodiversity,” he says. “We also contribute to the wellbeing of the local community.”

market’s tolerance for anything other than the largest and best individuals of a few tree species is low.

“It is here that EIF and Good Wood can play an important role,” says Dr Goodman. “Nobody has previously seriously ­discussed whether small-scale entrepreneurship on a local market can both contribute to sounder forestry and improve production and profits.”

ROSA GOODMAN, an American researcher at SLU in Umeå who studies the relationship between forest management and climate change, confirms that current harvesting methods in the tropics are anything but sustainable.

Nor does she believe that environmental certification alone is sufficient to halt this development, given that the forests that are being destroyed are seldom likely to be subject to any such certification.

She also believes that there are many markets that are only too pleased to accept timber from irresponsible and degraded forestry activities, while at the same time the

L ARS L AESTADIUS,

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a consultant and adjunct lecturer at SLU in Umeå and formerly a senior associate at the World Resources Institute in Washington DC, also sees small-scale utilisation of the world’s forests as an important complement to the more ­hi-tech initiatives being taken by the forestry industry.

“In the rural areas of many countries, technology must be kept to a functional chainsaw level if it is to be compatible with and not alienate an informal production economy,” he says.

And at an investment level where an owner of woodland does not need to pawn the shirt off his back, it will not be long before they have the courage to step-by-step adapt their

L E VA S F L O R , E C O - I N N O VAT I O N F O U N D AT I O N ( E I F ) AND FOREST STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL (FSC)

LevasFlor was established in 2005 by Västerås Parish in Sweden and Lebombo Parish in Maputo.

The concession is 50,000 hectares, 40,000 of which are productive, FSC-certified miombo woodlands – the vernacular name for the woodlands that dominate in eastern and southern Africa – a landscape characterised by rolling hills and savanna with a rich biodiversity and tall, sparsely growing deciduous trees.

The LevasFlor facility has dual saw lines, a joinery, a timber-drying kiln, plant nursery, workshop and office, with 80% of production sold on the local market.

A small village of approximately 200 people has grown up around the joinery and sawmill, with access to drinking water, sanitation, a school and healthcare. See also www.levasflor.com.

The Eco-Innovation Foundation (EIF) is committed to designing inclusive markets that utilise human capacities for innovation and ­entrepreneurship as a means of restoring and protecting ecosystems.

The Foundation’s founders come from mixed backgrounds and competencies, including forestry, ecology, marketing, technology and entrepreneurship. See also www.eco-innovation.org.

technology to both the size of their trees and the attributes demanded by the local market.

“If it becomes apparent that they can utilise parts of the tree that would otherwise be wasted, then each tree will also gain greater economic value,” states Dr Laestadius.

He would like to see more projects that, like LevasFlor in Mozambique, demonstrate the opportunities and create the incentives to utilise and restore forests all around the world that would otherwise have been depleted.

“At times, common sense can be in short supply,” says Lars Laestadius, “but if you can demonstrate that even a small sawmill can benefit the earth’s future, that will be a big step in the right direction.”

Today, approximately half of earth’s original forest cover is gone. Not only that but, around the world every year, enormous areas of harvested woodland is degraded and left without measures to encourage new trees to grow. These are issues that engage and motivate Klas Bengtsson and Aaron Kaplan.

They confirm that, while the demand for timber is all but endless, not least from a growing global middle class, and the UN forecasts that 95,000 new homes must be built every day to meet the goals of Agenda 2030, we must also reduce the use of fossil fuels, halt the loss of biodiversity and reduce poverty.

IN A WORLD WHERE 90% of life on land is found in forests and where forests affect the climate, purify the air and form part of water cycle, whether or not the forest is permitted to remain, untouched or managed in a manner that is sustainable in the long term, is of course a matter of great importance.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) works to ensure that the world’s forests are utilised in a responsible and sustainable manner.

FSC forest management certification confirms that the forest is being managed in a way that preserves biological diversity and benefits the lives of local people and workers, while ensuring it sustains economic viability.

plantation forests and a modernised forestry industry providing plenty of fossil-free products, they also want to see more and significantly improved use of naturally growing forests, with a business model based on a value chain stretching from local forest owner to end product.

“This is a crucial piece of the puzzle if we are to row the boat ashore,” says Klas Bengtsson. “If we don’t make it, then we’re in trouble.”

AS A COMPLEMENT TO

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TOWA R D S

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F O S S I L- F R E E FUTURE TEXT JENNIE ZETTERQVIST

P H O T O M AT T T I A S A N D E R S S O N

SCA’s model for calculating climate benefit is spreading. Understanding of the forestry industries green cycle is increasing, among other things through the efforts of the Swedish Forest Industries Federation.

“The more people who use our model, the better. It has been an eye-opener for many,” says SCA’s sustainability director, Katarina Kolar.

S

is climate positive. Initially, it might sound like an impossibility that the combined operations of a major industrial group could have a positive impact on the climate. And yet, this is precisely what SCA’s climate benefit model demonstrates. In 2019, the company’s contribution was equivalent to a reduction in greenhouse gases of 10.5 million tonnes – as much as the emissions from all Swedish car traffic during the same period.

CA’S ORGANISATION

GREATER UNDERSTANDING

This is largely the result of smart forest management, m ­ anufactured products replacing fossil-based materials and keeping a tight grip on emissions along the entire value chain, from ­felling to the product reaching the customer’s gates.

SCA developed the calculation model in order to clearly link the forest with the products made from wood raw materials.

“Many people miss the connection between wearing a

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v­ iscose shirt made from cellulose and the benefits of forestry.

We notice that our model leads to a better understanding of how our green cycle is connected,” says Katarina Kolar.

THE IMPORTANCE OF GROWING FORESTS

There is a widespread belief that the most climate-smart course of action would be to allow forests to stand untouched as a stable carbon sink, a reservoir storing carbon dioxide away from the atmosphere; however, this is a zero-sum game in which the forest’s trees grow old and decompose, emitting almost as much carbon dioxide as they absorb. A growing forest, on the other hand, captures more CO2 from the atmosphere that it emits.

“SCA is Europe’s largest forest owner. We don’t harvest all of the new growth; we maintain net growth and thereby an increasingly timber-rich forest that stores just over five million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year,” explains Katarina Kolar.

Building in wood also has the effect of storing the carbon contained in the biomass for the lifetime of the building or furniture;

» Sustainability is addressed at all stages, from forest management to end product. « K ATA R IN A KO L A R , SUSTA IN A BILIT Y D IR ECTO R AT SCA

so, the longer the life of the product, the longer it will be before the carbon dioxide returns to part of the atmosphere.

“Sustainability is addressed at all stages, from forest m ­ anagement to the end product. This is why it is always important to consider the lifecycle perspective,” says Katarina Kolar.

“We constantly strive for a higher climate benefit by reducing our own emissions and this is where transports present a challenge to us, as for many others,” says Katarina Kolar.

POPULAR BENEFICIAL MODEL

THE DAILY CLIMATE BATTLE CONTINUES

Even when shipping distances increase, the climate benefits of wood remain higher than many other building materials.

“One can look at many different aspects of wood’s benefits to arrive at a final calculation; for example, simply by replacing a high climate-impact material such as steel it provides enormous benefits. The sawmills where we manufacture our goods have a very low carbon footprint and with better and more efficient transportation we can cope with even longer distances,” says Katarina Kolar.

Transportation is currently SCA’s largest source of emissions, making it a priority area for the company’s ongoing climate work.

SCA’s model for calculating climate benefit was launched in 2019 and the Swedish Forest Industries Federation has already adopted it, as have a number of other forestry companies who are keen to highlight their climate benefits, something that is pleasing for SCA. “Our calculations are fully transparent and available on our website – our intention with the model is for it to be both simple and a fair representation when more producers are added. I have noticed that this contributes to a nuanced debate on forests and how they can contribute to a fossil-free society. We are still in need of materials in society and the question is, which should we choose?”

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Recycling gives heartwood pine decking new life TEXT MARIANA VIKSTRÖM

PHOTO SANDRA LEE PETTERSSON

Buying an old wooden house in Östersund ignited a new passion for Petra Nyborg. A passion that now inspires others with an interest in recycling and interior design. Among other things, Petra and her partner Erik Vikström reused heartwood pine decking from SCA to build garden furniture that was auctioned to raise funds for the ­Swedish Childhood Cancer Fund.

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Follow Petra’s recycling projects on Instagram @villautgard.

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was tired of rented accommodation and was longing for something of her own; however, the high prices in Östersund made it difficult to find a suitable property within a reasonable distance from the city. This led her to a viewing of a neglected old timber house that lacked heating but was located only 10 kilometres outside Östersund.

“I had the feeling that this was somewhere I could live,” says Petra.

The house purchase proved to be the start of a new interest that became a lifestyle. Five years have now passed and Petra’s skills have literally emerged.

“You don’t need to know or be able to do everything to give it a try. Young women especially tend to say to me that they can’t do something but then I ask if they have even tried,” says Petra, who has become a source of inspiration when it comes to renovating old buildings, recycling and interior design.

Petra shares her experiences on Instagram and other channels, as well as accepting tips from others who share her passion.

ETR A NYBORG

FROM USED UP TO REUSED

Techniques, colours and materials have all been explored and tested along the way; according to Petra, only the imagination limits the uses that old things can be put to.

“Many times there is a house within a house waiting to emerge. All you need is time, love, sandpaper and paint.

With this house, I followed Pippi Longstocking’s example and thought ‘how hard can it be?’”

To restore, reuse and painstakingly reveal the original walls and doors, find old furniture and knick-knacks at flea markets and auctions is a creative process.

“Buying that dilapidated old house was one of the best decisions I ever made. It was there that I learned to sand floors, plaster and wallpaper with fantastic results.”

However, just as the house was beginning to take the form Petra wanted, she met Erik.

The distance between their homes seemed too great and Erik’s house was far too new and modern for Petra, so they ­decided to look for a home they could share. They moved into their current house, which dates from 1914, in December 2018 and together they set about carefully restoring it.

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>

“I have a passion for wood because it is a living material that can be reused many times.”

>

“Erik didn’t have a great deal of experience of renovation and building, but my passion proved to be contagious. He has also turned out to be good at the things that I am somewhat lacking in. He is more adept at carpentry while I am the visionary who likes to tear things down to find out what’s behind the wallpaper and walls. We complement one another and it is great fun to do this together,” says Petra.

SELF-IMPREGNATED WOOD FROM NORTHERN SWEDISH FORESTS

Recycling has an vital environmental aspect that is important to Petra. If cared for, wood can last for a long time and have many lives.

“I have a passion for wood because it is a living material that can be reused many times, recycled and then disposed of without creating waste. This is particularly true of heartwood pine,” says Petra.

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ABOUT PETRA NYBORG AND ERIK VIKSTRÖM Family: children Bob, Affe and Ellie spend every other week living in the house.

The house: a wooden house in the village of Utgård outside Östersund, built in 1914.

This house was the second dwelling built on a farm beside the lake Storsjön and its inlet to the Indal River.

Instagram: @villautgard

Heartwood pine comes from the innermost part of the trunk of 80 to 100-year-old oldgrowth pines. The decking used on SCA’s stand at the Biathlon World Cup in Östersund in March 2019 was given new life with Petra and Erik, who jointly designed and built garden furniture and a veranda.

“The first time I walked on the veranda decking it felt just as smooth as I had anticipated – it was a special feeling. Then it becomes so beautiful after a few years when it greys,” says Petra.

Heartwood pine is rich in nature’s own impregnation substances and is naturally resistant to rot, fungus and pests. It is slightly curved so that water runs off without damaging the wood, which benefits from being left to dry for a while before use.

“It is ideally suited to garden furniture and decking such as ours. There is no need to treat

Heartwood pine decking from SCA’s stand at the 2019 Biathlon World Cup in Östersund found a new lease of life as garden furniture and a veranda with Petra and Erik.

it with anything although we do wash it with soap and, of course, the soap is natural just like the decking itself.

AUCTION ON BEHALF OF THE SWEDISH CHILDHOOD CANCER FUND

In collaboration with SCA, a table and one of the benches were auctioned on behalf of the Swedish Childhood Cancer Fund.

“We have a nephew who has been through cancer, so this cause seemed particularly important. The bidding ended at SEK 5,095 and with SCA’s additional contribution a total of SEK 10,295 was donated to the Swedish Childhood Cancer Fund,” says Petra.

The remaining planks of heartwood pine decking from the Biathlon World Cup may eventually be given new life as herringbone-patterned tables, but many people have been in touch about the bench in particular.

“The bench was a real success but I don’t know if or when we will find time to make more. We work many early mornings and late nights but we are passionate about creating something new from the old. All the positive feedback or tips we receive certainly motivates us to continue,” concludes Petra.

HEARTWOOD The trunks of most tree species consist of two types of wood, heartwood on the interior and sapwood on the exterior. The trunks of young trees are entirely made up of sapwood but over time the innermost sapwood is transformed into heartwood. Heartwood is characterised by its density and durability, thanks to its natural resistance to black mould and algae.

In pines, it takes between 30 and 40 years for heartwood to form at the centre at the bottom of the trunk. The older the tree, the greater the percentage of heartwood.

An antifungal extractive substance called pinosylvin is formed in pines, giving the tree its Latin name, Pinus sylvestris.

It takes up to two years for heartwood pine to develop its characteristic silver-grey appearance, although the surface will have begun to shift to grey after six months.

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R E C Y C L I N G

Build a table So, what does one do with cut offs left over from building the veranda?

Build a herringbone-pattern table of course! Follow Petra and Erik’s step-by-step instructions to create a table with personality from recycled material.

1

BEGIN BY

cutting the left over material into identical lengths. If you are using curved heartwood pine, it might be advisable to saw the curved side as well.

FEEL FREE TO USE a stick to push the wood through the saw to reduce the risk of accidents! Once you have the requisite number of blocks for your board design, it’s time for assembly.

table that needs a new top, or build one from scratch. We have chosen to make a table that suits our garden furniture and have therefore built a stand in the same style.

along the centre of the board to assist in assembly. Use wood glue and lay two blocks in a V shape. Repeat to achieve a herringbone pattern. Make any fine adjustments before the glue dries.

5

ONCE YOU HAVE

a neat edge around the table, mount a wooden frame. This gives your recycled furniture a professional appearance.

ONCE THE frame is in place, it’s time to sand the entire table top until you achieve the desired result.

WE HAVE chosen to oil our table to make it somewhat more weather resistant. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions!

finished your assembly, square the edges. Draw guidelines along the top and saw along them.

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2

6

TO ACHIEVE

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7

FIND AN EXISTING

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8

DR AW A LINE

P E T R A’ S R E C Y C L I N G T I P S

Think outside the box! See new possibilities. A dining table can become a coffee table, a greying barn wall can become a headboard and so on.

Plan your renovation. With good planning, you can minimise waste and maintain full control of what you already have for use in future projects.

Be patient. Recycling may demand patience but, of course, it’s well worth it! Breathing new life into used materials takes time compared to buying new all the time.

Keep an eye on Instagram and Pinterest. The internet is packed with recycling enthusiasts and smart solutions that can help your imagination along the way.

Have fun! For the best results, recycling should be fun.

9

OUR SPLENDID TABLE IS

NOW RE ADY and we have really minimised the waste from our veranda. Win-win!

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C O M M I T M E N T T H AT B U I L D S

A BETTER WORLD TEXT JENNIE ZETTERQVIST

PHOTO MADELENE SCHREINER/SCA

SCA cultivates a strong social commitment. The desire to develop has deep local roots but also branches out into global projects driven by our highly motivated and empathic employees. A load of timber that recently arrived in Ghana lays the foundations for both sustainable construction and increased gender equality.

>

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Maria Lemon, deputy site manager, and Anna Schรถnstrรถm, site manager, at SCA Wood Scandinavia in Tunadal are delighted to be able to dispatch Swedish timber to the village of Gomoa Tarkwa in Ghana.

The shipment arrived at its destination on 11 February.

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T I M B E R C O N TA I N E R TO GHANA > The wood comes from SCA’s forests in northern Sweden. > The timber was sawn and donated

by SCAs sawmill and grading mill in Tunadal, Sundsvall, Sweden. > Shipment was arranged by SCA Sourcing & Logistics.

Maria Lemon and Rockson Yanney in Ghana.

>

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in society needs to play their part. That is SCA’s firm conviction and the company takes broad corporate responsibility for being a positive force and an employer whose staff find job satisfaction, motivation and the pleasure of seeing their initiatives bear fruit.

Education, research and support for socially engaged organisations usually revolves around the locations where SCA operates. Locally purchased goods and services create jobs, blossoming businesses and local infrastructure that benefits citizens. That said, creative employees with a passion for the welfare of others can open up completely new opportunities in far flung places.

VERY STAKEHOLDER

GIFT TO GHANA

The Children’s Home charity supports children and young people in Ghana, West Africa. Much of their aid goes to private orphanages to ensure that children who might otherwise have been condemned to a life on the streets have food, healthcare and education.

Maria Lemon is deputy site manager at SCA Wood Scandinavia Tunadal and cofounder of Children’s Home. The commitment to Ghanaian children that she and her daughter Sara Svensson have demonstrated has spread to Maria’s colleagues, most recently resulting in a full container with 50 m3 of sawn timber shipping from SCA’s port.

“Many of our employees are engaged in Children’s Home so we felt that the company itself should also do something.

This is a way for SCA to contribute to a better world by promoting increased gender equality and education for more children,” says Anna Schönström, site manager of SCA Wood Scandinavia’s Tunadal Planing Mill.

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WORKING FOR GENDER EQUALITY

Children’s Home works on a broad front and is currently running a gender equality project with the aid of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and non-governmental development cooperation organisation Forum Syd. “The project is not only aimed at getting girls into school, we are also working to strengthen the rights of women and girls in outlying villages. We collaborate with local organisations that in turn apply pressure to those in positions of responsibility, to increase awareness that a gender-balanced society offers opportunities for development and thereby reduces poverty more rapidly,” explains Maria Lemon.

The timber will be used for furniture and to construct a service building to shelter food and wood from the rain. A local carpenter will build the furniture and the children, who have seen photographs of models, are looking forward to seeing it in real life.

IN THE RIGHT HANDS

It presents a challenge to SCA to become involved and make a difference in places where the company has no representation.

In this case, the personal commitment of employees, including visits to Ghana, provides assurance that the gift and assistance will end up in the right hands.

The project’s focus on education and gender equality is entirely in line with SCA’s core values. The gift of timber also speaks to our commitment to long-term initiatives, both materially and symbolically.

“In addition to donating building materials that give Children’s Home with the opportunity to provide vulnerable children with a more secure upbringing, the northern pine is also highly significant to sustainable building and, therefore, a sustainable world,” says Anna Schönström.

» This is one way for SCA to contribute to a better world.« ANNA SCHÖNSTRÖM, SITE MANAGER OF SCA WOOD SCA N D IN AV I A’S T U N A DA L PL A NIN G MILL .

E X A M P L E S O F S C A’ S S O C I A L C O M M I T M E N T

> Coaching forestry contractors in establishing and running their own companies, often in rural areas.

> Support to clubs, associations and local community initiatives in sport, culture and other fields.

> Supporting the power of innovation and entrepreneurship through engagement in initiatives such as BizMaker in Sundsvall, Sweden, Ung Företagsamhet and other regional development centres.

> Participation at national, regional and local levels in the Forest in School cooperation programme between schools and the Swedish forestry sector to promote forestry as a career.

> Participation in Tekniksprånget (Technology Leap) and Teknikcollege to increase interest in science and engineering education among young people. The FLIT Project and Geek Girls, both aimed at stimulating interest in engineering among girls.

> SCA’s Conservation Parks, large forest areas managed to increase the level of diversity for the benefit of natural and cultural heritage.

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Memories of a house conceived before its time

» The architect who designed this house in the 1970’s is Alexandros Tombazis, a sustainability pioneer at that early time. « NICH O L AS S ITA R AS

DURING THE YE ARS when my children were very young, we spent most of our winter weekend breaks, as well as our summer vacations, in a house in the hills of the Peloponnese, overlooking the sea.

Built in the late 1970’s after the first oil crisis, this was Greece’s first solar house, aptly named Helios 1. Solar panels facing south cover the external back wall of the house, capturing the heat from the sun and warming up water, which then circulates under the floor to heat the house during the winter. In the summer, this free warm water is used in the bathrooms and kitchen.

The orientation of the house allows for good wind circulation.

A large Hardwood tree planted in the courtyard covers the house, providing shade. The same tree, by losing its broad leaves in the winter, allows the light and warmth of the sun into the house. This one tree functions as a climate control switch: keeping out the sun in the summer, allowing it back in full force during the winter.

The architect who designed this house in the 1970’s is Alexandros Tombazis, a sustainability pioneer at that early time, he chose wood as the main construction material. The house is entirely timber-framed and was assembled on the spot, using glulam beam elements that were manufactured from Nordic Spruce at a local wood industry 70 kilometres away. As the house is built in an area of relatively frequent seismic activity, the choice of timber frame construction makes the house a light structure, which gently absorbs the shakes without any damage during earthquakes.

Doors and windows were made from Douglas Fir, a popular choice in the Mediterranean at that time, providing excellent insulation.

Inside, the visible glulam beams and walls covered by Spruce ­panelling, have required no maintenance for over 40 years, as there is no need to paint wood walls.

This wooden house encompasses most of the memories that my children have from their childhood. As babies, they liked touching the smoothly-planed wood walls, never cold or humid, even when we arrived from the city on a winter Friday evening. Tucked in bed, they would look at the character marks of the wooden boards around them, the knots on the ceiling and on the walls looking like a map of the stars in the sky. In the winter, we would play games on the flooring by the fireplace. During the summer, we would spend most of our time in the courtyard under the foliage of the tree, enjoying the view of the gentle slope ahead of us: cypress and olive trees in a rich palette of various green colours, mixing with the vast blue of the sea in the distance.

The years passed, our children grew up to take their own ways and we built a very different summer house. Whenever we re-visit “the solar house” however, we remember all the happy times spent in this small, 80-square-meter home, built with respect for nature long before we all became aware of the importance of sustainable living.

Nicholas Sitaras, Head of sales, Europe, SCA Wood

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WOULD YOU TOO LIKE TO WEAR CLOTHING FROM THE FOREST? Keep your eyes peeled for garments made from lyocell, modal and viscose, all of which are made from wood cellulose.

Silk, velvet – or cellulose?

SWEDEN’S MINISTER FOR HIGHER EDUCATION and Research attended the Nobel Banquet in a dress made of paper fabric. The creation was the work of fashion designers Filippa Svensson and William Wahlström of the Swedish School of Textiles in Borås.

“I am very impressed by the innovative technology behind this fabric and it amazes me that we have such creative students here in Sweden,” said Minister Matilda Ernkrans.

The fabric was manufactured on the Swedish School of Textiles’ own loom from threads spun from paper strips.

The design of the dress alludes to the use of paper through the ages in art and painting. The white colour and soft billowing form represent the natural and environmentally friendly, while the severe black symbolises pollution.

The dress is compostable, although in the service of bioeconomy it will probably make an appearance at many more parties.

“I would like to keep my dress for as long as possible.

As Minister for Higher Education and Research it is wonderful that my Nobel ballgown could be combined with pride over our fantastic higher education institutions and students and with an innovative, climate-smart choice of material,” says Matilda Ernkrans.

What is bioeconomics?

BIOECONOMICS is the science of living in a manner that does not consume the earth’s finite resources. Renewable raw materials from forests, the soil and sea replace products manufactured from and using fossil-based materials. The aim and intention is to reduce environmental and climate impact while ­simultaneously maintaining or even increasing the wellbeing of society.

The substitution effect arises when products made from forest biomass, as part of a natural cycle, reduce the need to manufacture fossil-based products, thereby limiting carbon dioxide emissions. Because, when wooden houses replace concrete buildings, paper packaging replaces plastic and cellulose clothing replaces polyester, a significant quantity of fossil carbon can be left in the ground instead of being emitted into the atmosphere.

THE SUBSTITUTION EFFECT

Source: Swedish Forest Industries Federation

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