Despite facing challenges posed by a shortage of materials and the continuing pandemic, Martinsons’ installation team had a packed schedule in 2021. At one point 35 fitters were busy at the same time and across the whole year, the team frequently had six to seven projects running simultaneously.
“We worked on lots of major projects last year and more are coming in, so the prospects for 2022 look great,” says installation manager Pelle Olsson.
The buildings that Martinsons (part of Holmen Wood Products) put up in 2021 covered everything from sports halls and factories to schools, nursing homes, timber storage and offices. In 2021 the team installed 25 new projects in total, from northern to southern Sweden.
“The variety of the projects is inspiring and helps us to develop. It also means we can take on more challenging installation projects demanding specialist skills. When we summed up the year, I feel very proud that we were able to deliver so many good installations despite a shortage of materials, the problems brought by the pandemic and disrupted deliveries from our own production,” Pelle Olsson says.
Logistical challenges in Örebro
Martinsons supplied two major office projects during the year. The first is Magasin X in Uppsala, the second is the seven-storey police building in Örebro, a climate-neutral structure built completely in wood, involving large spans. Martinsons started the installation in March last year and completed it just over five months later. The office block site is a small plot in the middle of a constant stream of traffic, which brought its own logistical challenges.
“It was a bit tricky as it was very crowded with only one spot for unloading. And because we were working with double-tee beams, we were forced to stack them on top of each other, which meant smaller loads per vehicle. We aren’t used to that. Normally lorries can carry up to 70 m3 of CLT or glulam,” says Pelle Olsson.
Specialised project in Linköping
In 2021, Martinsons delivered roof trusses for Tinnerbäcksbadet swimming pool in Linköping. The biggest roof trusses, reaching over the 50-metre pool and the surrounding stands for 1 570 spectators, spanned 42 metres and weighed 20 tonnes each. The trusses were joined with dowels on site and lifted in using two mobile cranes.
“Then we used a shoring system and jacks to fit them in place. We worked on scaffolding set up in the actual swimming pool. It was a very unique installation project but our team are experienced and skilled so it all ran smoothly,” says Pelle Olsson.
Record spans in Umeå
Sports halls have become something of a feature for Martinsons. During the year, they built sports halls in locations including Uppsala and Knivsta. In Umeå, there is a new four-storey multi-arena covering a total area of 16 500 m2. It includes a gym and head office, as well as football and floorball halls.
Martinsons delivered and installed the frames for both of the latter. The 19 glulam roof trusses span an impressive 67.8 metres and are among the biggest that Martinsons has ever installed.
“A structure like this is slim and vulnerable before you get it up in the air, so it’s a major process. It was very unique and it takes staff who have done similar projects before. But we have long experience in building halls and our team know what they are doing.”
Pelle Olsson thinks that demand for large wooden buildings has increased considerably in the past few years.
“Major housing projects in wood used to be taboo, but now people have realised it can be done,” Pelle Olsson concludes.