Textiltorget

The renovation project using Staticus’ next generation Hybrid Unitised Façade (HUF) for the 1st time.

Textiltorget is a sustainability-oriented renovation project in Stockholm. This former factory, originally constructed in 1955, is being transformed with an aesthetic reboot and dramatically improved energy efficiency.

Client Fabege AB is aiming for BREEAM-SE Bespoke Excellent certification, which imposes high demands on sustainability performance, including minimising the façade’s carbon footprint. For this reason, we proposed using our newly-developed Hybrid Unitised Façade (HUF) for the Textiltorget renovation.

As part of a Norway Grants funded project, we have been developing our next-generation HUF over the past three years in collaboration with our research partners SINTEF, KTU, and OsloMet. The explicit aim of this project is to develop a unitized façade that offers much lower embodied carbon. This has been achieved by replacing aluminium mullions and transoms with GLULAM – glued laminated timber.

This material requires much less energy to produce and can be sourced sustainably. It also offers advantages in terms of performance. Timber’s thermal insulation is 400 times better than steel and 1,700 times better than aluminium. Indeed, we have been using wood in our projects since 2012 thanks to its excellent thermal performance which is at or above passive house standards. Our HUF can be delivered in sizes up to 10 m², and the fact that it is prefabricated facilitates cost efficiency and makes installation easier compared to site-built wood systems.

The use of wood brings aesthetic and design advantages as well. This was evident in January 2024 when our installation team removed the protective foil to reveal the natural wood used in our HUF.

This was one of the final tasks for the installation team, who had completed all their main work by the beginning of 2024. They started installation in September 2023, following intensive testing at VINCI Technology Centre in the UK in May and production throughout the summer.

As the first project featuring our next-generation HUF, Textiltorget is an important milestone for us. All of our R&D projects are undertaken with the view to create something commercially viable that meets needs in the market. Fabege, with its focus on sustainability and open-minded approach to innovation, has proved to be an important and trusting partner in this process. We look forward to many further projects where our newly developed HUF is used to achieve high levels of sustainability.