“We need more knowledge about wood and wood construction. Few materials are as versatile and meet the future demands for sustainable building like wood does,” says Johan.
His everyday work involves spreading knowledge about wood. Through education, publications, and digital tools, he enables builders, carpenters, architects, and engineers to work more with wood. Through work with construction descriptions and the product catalog traprodukter.se, wood becomes understandable, practical, and accessible.
“What I’m passionate about is making wood knowledge concrete. It could be anything from building a simple shed to planning a glulam structure in a large industrial building. No matter the project size, wood should always be a natural option.”
Wood’s strength lies in its renewability, circularity, and versatility. When a tree grows, it captures carbon for decades. When it becomes building material, that carbon continues to be stored in houses and structures. Moreover, wood can be reused, repurposed, and eventually used as energy. Johan describes it as a century- long cycle that only strengthens the more we use the resource.
He also mentions that northern timber has special qualities. The spruce and pine that grow slowly in the harsh climate have a dense structure and high strength.
“It’s fantastic quality wood with great variation,” he says.
A clear trend right now is building upwards – not just with new buildings but also on existing ones. Here, wood plays a crucial role. Since the material is lighter than concrete and steel, it’s possible to build additional floors on already existing buildings, thus creating new housing in cities without taking up new land.
“It’s a huge advantage that wood is so light yet so strong. Had it been concrete, we could never have built in the same way. Wood allows us to densify cities and build more climate-smart without compromising on strength,” explains Johan.
For Johan Fröbel, the mission is both technical and visionary. He has been part of the development of wood construction in Sweden for over two decades, working to elevate the material from small-scale building to large-scale projects. It’s just as much about spreading knowledge and building trust in wood as a material as it is about developing standards and norms for how wood should be described and used.
“Up until 1994, it was forbidden to build wooden houses higher than two stories. Today, the situation is completely different, and interest in wood is significant among students in architecture and engineering programs. Everyone who builds with wood is contributing to a sustainable Sweden. It’s a material that truly belongs in the future,” he says.