The King of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf, unveils the Bench at Ekobacken, in Växjö, where it will remain, for everyone to sit down and enjoy the view.

As Carl XVI Gustaf, the King of Sweden, completes 50 years on the throne, he unveiled a 250-kg wooden bench that was made from waste wood created by Linnaeus University’s timber research centre.

It was during the King’s jubilee visit to Växjö that he inaugurated the commemorative monument.

The bench was made from leftover material from the university’s tests of cross-laminated timber (CLT) where, among other things, load-bearing capacity and wind impact are being studied. These wood scraps would now be getting a new life in the King’s Bench.

This wooden bench is a fine symbol of Linnaeus University’s forestry and wood research. And the fact that it is made from waste wood is connected to how we can reuse wood in various ways. Detailed features of the bench are as follows:

•        Material: cross-laminated spruce

•        Designer: Anders Alrutz

•        Weight: 250 kg

•        Wood: 248 kg

•        Glue: 2 kg

•        Stored carbon: 454 kg

As the entire royal visit had a theme revolving around forest and timber, wood was used as a part of the commemoration. It stems partly from the King’s own interest in the forest and partly from his previous visits to the region.

The bench was designed and manufactured by Anders Alrutz, a research engineer in building technology.

Also present at Ekobacken were Vice-Chancellor Peter Aronsson and students, who talked about Linnaeus University’s commitment to forestry and wood technology.

CLT is a composite wood panel, which is composed of several layers of thin wood veneers (lamellae) arranged with cross-wise fibre direction, glued and pressed together.

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