A SHORT STORY ABOUT TWENTY STORIES

Grahame Soden Arps

Discover what our Swedish member Grahame Soden tells us about the newly built 20-story wooden Hotel in Skellefteå City, which is not far away from his hometown. In his story, he not only uses architectural photography to bring us closer to the hotel’s exterior, but he also uses his style of photography to tell us about the hotel’s interior.

Skellefteå Kommun is just down the road from me - there’s a bus every day from my village to Skellefteå city. The Kommun has an area of 10,000 sq km with a population of 75,000 of whom 33,000 live in the city.

A tiny population when compared to, say Greater Manchester, with its population of 2.8 million packed into just 1,300 sq km.

Yet, despite its small population, Skellefteå (pronounced “Shell-eff-tee-oh”) punches above its weight. It has an airport, a thriving professional Ice-Hockey team, and it is home to Northvolt, Europe’s first battery gigafactory.

In 2023 Northvolt began plans for aviation batteries plus green truck batteries capable of powering trucks for 1.5 million kilometers. Due to their advanced recycling methods, Northvolt aim to source half of the raw materials for battery production from recycling by 2030.

In the nearby town of Boden (OK, Boden is 160 km from Skellefteå and in the next Kommun, but that’s “nearby” up here!) there is H2 Green Steel. This will be Europe’s 1st green steel plant, using hydrogen instead of coal, and production should start by 2025.

So being an innovative & progressive area, it was decided that Skellefteå would build a 20-story hotel. Out of wood.

It took just 5 years from proposal to opening on 14th October 2021. But I don’t think they wasted any time over the name, which is simply “ The Wood Hotel”.

It towers above everything else in the city centre and, at c75 meters, is one of the tallest wooden buildings in the world. Those 75 meters house 205 rooms, 3 conference rooms, 3 restaurants, and a roof-top bar + spa, plus the culture centre which has galleries, a museum, theatre, concert stages, and the new city library. The whole complex is called The Sara Kulturhus.

The hotel was built off-site as separate modules, which were then stacked together on site. The timber was mainly sourced locally, and all felled trees were replaced.

A technique known as “glulam” (glue laminated wood) was used to stick the timber together, and various supporting beams & joists are “cross laminated” (CLT) for strength. The resulting wooden structure will absorb more carbon than it emits.

A small amount of concrete was used on the roof, to minimise sway, and some steel was used to support generators, heating and AC units.

Of course, those basic facts & figures in no way prepare you for seeing the building in real life. It is so much more than just an hotel - it’s a great, welcoming cathedral with acres of honey-blond wood where all are welcome to enjoy the space, the peace & quiet.

Come in and eat your lunch, sit and think, paint a picture, read a book, enjoy the exhibitions. If you want to stay a while, then there is a hotel too.

I think that even the lady security guard was chosen to fit the surroundings - honeyblond hair and skin, 2 metres tall, gliding silently around the rooms.

Given the ambition, even a small community can reach out and touch its citizens, can make their collective lives a little better.

I’ve photographed a few events in Skellefteå over the years - the Ice Hockey, Winter Swimming, and the Swedish Masters Winter Sports, and a few of those photographs accompany this article too.

To photograph the Wood Hotel I visited near to the summer solstice and it was a beautiful, balmy, 30c. Skellefteå was at its best - Mediterranean climate, outdoor dining, kids & fountains, plus a digital Van Gogh exhibition.

I think everyone should spend at least a year in Lapland. It really is a different world, with a different pace. Proper winters, the Northern Lights, low crime, industrious & innovative population, good infrastructure, and some great restaurants.

I can honestly say that I do not think I’ve ever had a bad meal up here. It’s very much a “hunting, shooting, and fishing” location so expect to see local fish, elk, deer, and reindeer meat on the menu.

If you ever get to visit Skellefteå then I can recommend The Victoria Hotel, right in the city centre and there are dozens of restaurants & bistros, from street-food to gourmet. Prices around £20 - £80 per person plus drinks - be aware that alcohol can be eye-wateringly expensive!