Sara Kulturhus

Skellefteå
Height
1
To Tip:
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest point of the building, irrespective of material or function of the highest element (i.e., including antennae, flagpoles, signage and other functional-technical equipment).
72.8 m / 239 ft
2
Architectural:
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spires, but not including antennae, signage, flag poles or other functional-technical equipment. This measurement is the most widely utilized and is employed to define the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) rankings of the "World's Tallest Buildings."
72.8 m / 239 ft
3
Occupied:
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest occupied floor within the building.
66.8 m / 219 ft
  Floors
Above Ground
The number of floors above ground should include the ground floor level and be the number of main floors above ground, including any significant mezzanine floors and major mechanical plant floors. Mechanical mezzanines should not be included if they have a significantly smaller floor area than the major floors below. Similarly, mechanical penthouses or plant rooms protruding above the general roof area should not be counted. Note: CTBUH floor counts may differ from published accounts, as it is common in some regions of the world for certain floor levels not to be included (e.g., the level 4, 14, 24, etc. in Hong Kong).
20
Below Ground
The number of floors below ground should include all major floors located below the ground floor level.
1
1 2 3 Sara Kulturhus
Height 72.8 m / 239 ft
Floors 20
Official Name
The current legal building name.

Sara Kulturhus

Other Names
Other names the building has commonly been known as, including former names, common informal names, local names, etc.

Kulturhus Skellefteå

Type
CTBUH collects data on two major types of tall structures: 'Buildings' and 'Telecommunications / Observation Towers.' A 'Building' is a structure where at least 50% of the height is occupied by usable floor area. A 'Telecommunications / Observation Tower' is a structure where less than 50% of the structure's height is occupied by usable floor area. Only 'Buildings' are eligible for the CTBUH 'Tallest Buildings' lists.

Building

Status
Completed
Architecturally Topped Out
Structurally Topped Out
Under Construction
Proposed
On Hold
Never Completed
Vision
Competition Entry
Canceled
Proposed Renovation
Under Renovation
Renovated
Under Demolition
Demolished

Completed

Completion

2021

Country
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of Country, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.

Sweden

City
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of City, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.

Skellefteå

Address

Kanalgatan & Torggatan

Function
A single-function tall building is defined as one where 85% or more of its usable floor area is dedicated to a single usage. Thus a building with 90% office floor area would be said to be an "office" building, irrespective of other minor functions it may also contain.

A mixed-use tall building contains two or more functions (or uses), where each of the functions occupy a significant proportion of the tower's total space. Support areas such as car parks and mechanical plant space do not constitute mixed-use functions. Functions are denoted on CTBUH "Tallest Building" lists in descending order, e.g., "hotel/office" indicates hotel function above office function.

Hotel / Exhibition

Structural Material
All-Steel
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from steel. Note that a building of steel construction with a floor system of concrete planks or concrete slab on top of steel beams is still considered an “all-steel” structure as the concrete elements are not acting as the primary structure.

All-Concrete
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from concrete which has been cast in place and utilizes steel reinforcement bars and/or steel reinforced concrete which has been precast as individual components and assembled together on-site.

All-Timber
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from timber. An all-timber structure may include the use of localized non-timber connections between timber elements. Note that a building of timber construction with a floor system of concrete planks or concrete slab on top of timber beams is still considered an “all-timber” structure as the concrete elements are not acting as the primary structure.

Mixed-Structure
Utilizes distinct systems (e.g. all-steel, all-concrete, all-timber), one on top of the other. For example, a Steel Over Concrete indicates an all-steel structural system located on top of an all-concrete structural system, with the opposite true of Concrete Over Steel.

Composite
A combination of materials (e.g. steel, concrete, timber) are used together in the main structural elements. Examples include buildings which utilize: steel columns with a floor system of reinforced concrete beams; a steel frame system with a concrete core; concrete-encased steel columns; concrete-filled steel tubes; etc. Where known, the CTBUH database breaks out the materials used within a composite building’s primary structural elements.

Steel-Timber Composite Over Timber Over Steel-Timber Composite Over Steel-Timber Composite

Energy Label

Sweden Green Council GOLD

Height
Architectural
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spires, but not including antennae, signage, flag poles or other functional-technical equipment. This measurement is the most widely utilized and is employed to define the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) rankings of the "World's Tallest Buildings."

72.8 m / 239 ft

To Tip
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest point of the building, irrespective of material or function of the highest element (i.e., including antennae, flagpoles, signage and other functional-technical equipment).
72.8 m / 239 ft
Occupied
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest occupied floor within the building.
66.8 m / 219 ft
Floors Above Ground
The number of floors above ground should include the ground floor level and be the number of main floors above ground, including any significant mezzanine floors and major mechanical plant floors. Mechanical mezzanines should not be included if they have a significantly smaller floor area than the major floors below. Similarly, mechanical penthouses or plant rooms protruding above the general roof area should not be counted. Note: CTBUH floor counts may differ from published accounts, as it is common in some regions of the world for certain floor levels not to be included (e.g., the level 4, 14, 24, etc. in Hong Kong).

20

Floors Below Ground
The number of floors below ground should include all major floors located below the ground floor level.

1

# of Hotel Rooms
Number of Hotel Rooms refers to the total number of hotel rooms contained within a particular building.

208

# of Elevators
Number of Elevators refers to the total number of elevator cars (not shafts) contained within a particular building (including public, private and freight elevators).

7

Tower GFA
Tower GFA refers to the total gross floor area within the tower footprint, not including adjoining podiums, connected buildings or other towers within the development.

28,000 m² / 301,389 ft²

Structural Material Steel-Timber Composite Over Timber Over Steel-Timber Composite Over Steel-Timber Composite
Structural Details:
Floors 1 – 4
Columns
Laminated Timber
Floor Spanning
Laminated Timber Beam
Floor Spanning
Laminated Timber Floorplate
Core
Laminated Timber
Floor Spanning
Steel-Timber Composite Beam
Floor 5
Columns
Steel
Core
Laminated Timber
Floor Spanning
Non-Structural Floor Topping
Floors 6 – 18
Core
Laminated Timber
Floor Spanning
Laminated Timber Floorplate
Floors 19 – 20
Columns
Steel
Columns
Laminated Timber
Core
Laminated Timber
Floor Spanning
Non-Structural Floor Topping

Construction Schedule

2016

Proposed

2019

Construction Start

2021

Completed

Architect
Design

Usually involved in the front end design, with a "typical" condition being that of a leadership role through either Schematic Design or Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.
White Arkitekter
Structural Engineer
Engineer of Record

The Engineer of Record takes the balance of the engineering effort not executed by the “Design Engineer,” typically responsible for construction documents, conforming to local codes, etc.
WSP
Owner
Samhällsbyggnadsbolaget
Developer
Skellefteå Municipality
Architect
Design

Usually involved in the front end design, with a "typical" condition being that of a leadership role through either Schematic Design or Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.
White Arkitekter
Structural Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.
Dipl.-Ing. Florian Kosche AS
Engineer of Record

The Engineer of Record takes the balance of the engineering effort not executed by the “Design Engineer,” typically responsible for construction documents, conforming to local codes, etc.
TK Botnia; WSP
MEP Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.
Incoord
Contractor
Main Contractor

The main contractor is the supervisory contractor of all construction work on a project, management of sub-contractors and vendors, etc. May be referred to as "Construction Manager," however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Main Contractor" exclusively.
Hent AS
Other Consultant

Other Consultant refers to other organizations which provided significant consultation services for a building project (e.g. wind consultants, environmental consultants, fire and life safety consultants, etc).
Façade

These are firms that consult on the design of a building's façade. May often be referred to as "Cladding," "Envelope," "Exterior Wall," or "Curtain Wall" Consultant, however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Façade Consultant" exclusively.
ACC Glass and Facade Consulting; Lignas AB
Material Supplier

Material Supplier refers to organizations which supplied significant systems/materials for a building project (e.g. elevator suppliers, facade suppliers, etc).
Interior Partition
Frapont; Skelelfteå Snickericentral
Modules
Derome Group AB
Structural Timber
Martinsons Byggsystem AB

CTBUH Awards & Distinctions

Best Tall Building, by Height, Under 100 meters 2023 Award of Excellence

2023 CTBUH Awards

Best Tall Building, by Region, Europe 2023 Winner

2023 CTBUH Awards

 

CTBUH Initiatives

Tall Timber: A Global Audit

26 June 2017 - CTBUH Research

 

Videos

24 May 2022 | Skellefteå

Sara Cultural Center, Skellefteå, Sweden: Steel Box Trusses & Tension Rods Allow Long Spans and A Timber Core

This 73-meter mixed-use building uses no concrete in its load-bearing structure. Instead, lateral loads and long spans are taken up by a large steel box...

 

Research

05 July 2023

Timber High-Rises in Nordic Countries: Current Trends

Nima Zahiri

Timber high-rises have emerged as an innovative and sustainable solution for vertical urban development, with the Nordic countries leading the way in their implementation. This...

See more

Global News

08 October 2021

Timber Composite Project in Skellefteå Completes

Sara Kulturhus, a timber composite building in Sweden, just completed. Designed by the architecture firm, White Arkitekter, the building is located in the city of...

 

About Sara Kulturhus

The lower part of Sara Kulturhus consists of prefabricated wood reinforced with concrete slabs and a blend between glulam beams and steel construction.

The rest of the tower tower is built of prefabricated wooden modules, placed between cross-glued wooden lift cores.

CTBUH Awards & Distinctions

Best Tall Building, by Height, Under 100 meters 2023 Award of Excellence

2023 CTBUH Awards

Best Tall Building, by Region, Europe 2023 Winner

2023 CTBUH Awards

Research

05 July 2023

Timber High-Rises in Nordic Countries: Current Trends

Nima Zahiri

Timber high-rises have emerged as an innovative and sustainable solution for vertical urban development, with the Nordic countries leading the way in their implementation. This...

23 May 2022

Interactive Study - The State of Tall Timber: A Global Audit

CTBUH Research

This data study represents the significant recent momentum of the mass-timber movement worldwide. There are now 139 mass timber buildings around the world of eight...

04 April 2022

State of Tall Timber 2022

Daniel Safarik, Jacob Elbrecht & William Miranda, CTBUH

The past few years have seen tremendous interest in the development of mass timber buildings of increasing height, in urban settings, many of which are...