The Vision of a Wooden City – Kvarteret Arken in Växjö
Kvarteret Arken, located by Lake Trummen in Växjö, consists of three buildings with a total of 85 apartments and was nominated for Sweden’s Best New Production Award in 2020. The project is certified according to Miljöbyggnad Silver, with Växjöbostäder as the developer, Värends Entreprenad as the contractor, and Sajt Arkitektstudio as the responsible architect.

Växjö has long been committed to promoting wooden construction and has developed its own wood-building strategy. This made the choice of a timber frame an obvious decision from the outset. The timber structure represents a shift in Swedish building tradition, where multi-family housing of five to eight storeys is now built in wood—something previously mostly used in one- and two-storey homes. For the contractor, Värends Entreprenad, this marks an important development that shows how wood can be used in larger and more complex projects.

The facade – a combination of wood and fiber cement
The facade design combines a robust timber cladding in a traditional “lockläkt” profile with fiber cement panels from Swisspearl Patina NXT. The panels are used in three different colours and formats, while the timber cladding is mounted slightly in front of the panels to hide the edges and create a clear, well-defined expression. The distribution is roughly one quarter wood and three quarters fiber cement.

The architecture uses contrasts to create dynamism. The public-facing sides, oriented toward the lake and the main road, incorporate darker panels and the heavier timber cladding, giving the buildings a strong outer “shell” character. Toward the courtyard, the expression becomes lighter and more intimate through brighter panels, providing the area with a softer atmosphere.

The combination of wood and fiber cement makes it possible to play with the materials’ opposing qualities: heaviness and lightness, roughness and smoothness, dark and light. This creates variation and gives the facades both depth and rhythm.

The Choice of Swisspearl Patina Original NXT
Patina Original NXT was chosen for its through-coloured and homogeneous composition, which makes scratches and marks less noticeable over time. The panels’ matte, subtly varied surface contributes to a natural and calm expression that harmonises with the more robust character of the timber cladding. Together, the materials aimed to create a facade that will age beautifully and retain its aesthetic quality for many years.

A New Part of Växjö
Kvarteret Arken has become a key addition to Växjö’s vision of a modern wooden city. It brings together influences from traditional Bohuslän architecture and industrial harbour structures in a contemporary interpretation, where both material choices and design language are rooted in the area’s history and future ambitions.

Please note that this Reference project features Patina products. However, since the colour range for Patina NXT is the same, this reference also provides a general impression of the look and feel of a Patina NXT project.