White Arkitekter's Wood Hotel in Skellefteå Swedish Lapland is climate positive and made from local timber
One of the world’s tallest hotels made almost exclusively from wood, has officially opened at the birthplace of cross-country skiing, Skellefteå in Swedish Lapland, with the property's rooftop Vana Spa giving spectacular views over the city.
Designed by White Arkitekter and standing at 20 storeys, the Wood Hotel, which soft opened in 2021, is 75 metres high and made almost entirely from spruce and pine sourced from nearby forests.
First proposed in 2016, the 205-bed property, owned by Elite Hotels, has a rooftop spa, 1,200-capacity convention centre, a sky bar and three restaurants – an Italian café, an Asian restaurant and Restaurant Mandel, which specialises in locally-sourced, Sami-inspired food.
The climate-positive structure absorbs more CO2 than it uses.
Rooms are fragranced by the timber from which they're constructed, contributing to the comfort and personal wellbeing of guests by reducing stress and improving sleep.
The hotel is one of a series of wooden skyscrapers being built or proposed in Sweden, thanks to developments in glue-laminated and cross-laminated engineered timber technology. Others include the Mjøstårnet Wood Hotel in Brumunddal, which opened in 2019 and stands 86 metres above ground level with 18 storeys and 72 hotel rooms.
Wood Hotel Skellefteå Swedish Lapland Vana Spa