Swedish design studio Förstberg Ling completed the Twelve Houses block of homes in Malmo, which is a series of three blocks that have gridded brick facade aesthetics. The homes are made from a structure of CLT, which is known as cross-laminated timber. The ground floor has an entrance hall, garage, kitchen, dining area, and living room -- the upstairs hosts two floors of bedrooms.
The practice explains that "The townhouses are part of a transformation of a larger city block, finding their place between a cluster of turn-of-the-century buildings with decorative brickwork and a modernistic tram depot in concrete. The townhouses fit in the industrial scale of Sorgenfri but are also separate entities, like an avenue of trees with intertwined branches."
Image Credit: Förstberg Ling
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Gridded Facade Aesthetics
- The trend towards gridded facade aesthetics in residential architecture creates opportunities for innovative materials like cross-laminated timber.
- Cross-laminated Timber Construction
- The use of cross-laminated timber in residential construction continues to be a growing trend as an alternative to traditional building methods.
- Mixed-use Development
- Mixed-use development opportunities in cities provide an opportunity to integrate new residential construction with existing turn-of-the-century buildings and modern architectural design.
Where This Applies
- Residential Construction
- Residential construction stands to benefit from the use of cross-laminated timber and other innovative materials and methods in the design of new housing developments.
- Architecture
- Architects have the opportunity to innovate with new materials and design techniques to create visually appealing, modern homes that complement existing architecture in urban areas.
- Real Estate Development
- Mixed-use real estate developers have an opportunity to integrate new residential construction into existing urban fabrics and create new, innovative spaces that blend different architectural styles and eras.
