Every day, thousands of commuters use this mass timber, two-story parking garage for bicycles at Uppsala Central Station. The garage can hold up to 1,200 of the daily commuters' bicycles at once. The two floors are connected by a solid timber ramp, making it possible to ride your bike between floors. By providing a convenient and secure place for cyclists to park their bicycles, the municipality has enabled many more people to use bicycles as a mode of transportation. This, in turn, has reduced traffic congestion and pollution. The project has gone on to serve as a great example for other cities looking to implement sustainable urban infrastructure.

Parking garages are oftentimes dark and unpleasant urban spaces at night, but by installing lighting into the solid wood beams that are programmed to change colours, Uppsala has created a cherished and functional lighthouse for bike riders. 

The use of mass timber was central to the project's success, providing structural integrity and aesthetics with a renewable resource- cross-laminated timber (CLT) and Sylva glued laminated timber (GLT/Glulam) Beams and Columns. 

The garage's construction utilized 350 cubic meters of prefabricated Sylva™ CLT Floors and Roofs as well as Sylva GLT Beams and Columns.

Given how heavily utilised this garage is year-round and in all weathers, this project is a great reference for how engineered wood is robust enough to be left exposed with the right installation, moisture management plan and maintenance.

Design and architecture

Designed in a triangular shape, covering a 2,800 square meter area, the bike garage faces in three directions; towards the train platforms, a viaduct and a bus station.

The design was by the architecture firm Tengbom, the renowned Swedish architectural firm who were the creative force behind making a structure that was not only functional but also visually appealing.

The successful completion of the parking garage was the result of effective collaboration by our long-term partners: ByggPartner, the prominent Swedish construction company known for expertise in sustainable building practices, and success in numerous high-profile projects across Sweden.