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Scenario
Journey
Object – guitar
Object – cladding plank
Object – C24 floor beam
Credtis
01.
02.
03.
04.
05.
06.
Scenario
Journey
Object – guitar
Object – cladding plank
Object – C24 floor beam
Credtis
The consumption of wood products is increasing. Wood is the dominant building material globally as well as being sought after in a wide range of consumer products. Recycling wood has become the norm, with a large share of the consumption consisting of recycled or reused wood. Recycled wood is fashionable and sought after by the construction industry as well as by end consumers of wood products.
In recent decades, we have seen a growing trend for wooden interiors and products made of wood. Wood has also largely replaced concrete and steel in construction; high-rise buildings and office complexes are now mainly built with cross-laminated timber (CLT) and other advanced wood composites. Using wood is seen as a climate-smart development, despite a sharp increase in deforestation.
To meet increased consumption, forestry has undergone a revolution, with the majority of virgin wood material coming from genetically designed trees, modified to grow faster and absorb more carbon from the environment. Large-scale monocultures of straight, fast-growing GM tree species now dominate the landscape. Furthermore, circular business models are on the rise, and there is a strong development of flexible, demountable building systems that can be reused and recycled. Old buildings are carefully dismantled and wooden parts are classified, treated and reused in new constructions or products.
Through digital product passports, all wood products are traceable - from harvesting site to finished product. Traceability is used as a guarantee of quality and trade, but consumers also have full transparency in the raw material journeys of products. Digital passports have opened up new opportunities for information sharing, and as the history of the material has become visible, it also feeds into decision-making processes. Consumers want to hear the stories of the wood, and recycled wood is therefore highly valued. A normative change has taken place, affecting the forest value chain.
Plank’s circular lifecycle
From Forest to Framework
The circular lifecycle of timber as a building material is emphasizing reuse and sustainable practices. It begins with the growth and harvest of genetically designed trees, followed by processing at the timber terminal where logs are transformed into construction components. After construction, the wood enters its first life in use, potentially undergoing multiple loops of use as the building is carefully deconstructed and components are assessed for reuse. Each reuse loop brings the timber back through the terminal and into new constructions. Eventually, when reuse is no longer viable, the material enters its next life as bioenergy, such as wood chips.
Product Name
Elin Model – Reclaimed Series
Serial No.
Östersund, Sweden
May 2052
Material history summary
This tree was part of a sustainably managed forestry initiative planted in 2000 on reforested land outside of Östersund, Sweden. The plot was among the first in Sweden to utilize the FGP-3 strain—an approved, genetically modified pine variety designed for faster growth, increased straightness, and improved resistance to pests and cold.
This tree was part of a sustainably managed forestry initiative planted in 2000 on reforested land outside of Östersund, Sweden. The plot was among the first in Sweden to utilize the FGP-3 strain—an approved, genetically modified pine variety designed for faster growth, increased straightness, and improved resistance to pests and cold.
April 2001
Planted as a seedling in early spring 2000, the tree matured quickly, reaching full harvest size by 2025. The pine stood in a densely monitored stand of high-efficiency trees, absorbing carbon, stabilizing soil, and contributing to local biodiversity corridors.
Once felled, the log was transported to the timber terminal. There, the wood was crafted into a bench installed at a rural railway station. It served as a bench for 24 years. Travelers sat, waited, rested—marking time with footsteps, stories, and silence.
Bench nr 527
Furudal, Sweden
September 2047
At the terminal, the wood was sorted, assesed and routed to an local luthier, a person who makes and repairs musical instruments. The routier has a fascination for materials with a story, and found the digital passport of the railway bench suiting.
The wood was transformed into an acoustic guitar. The pine wood gives the guitar a warm tone, but still with a clear treble. The guitar was delivered to Elin Andersson in may 2052.
Östersund, Sweden
August 2052
Product Name
Resurge Panel – Commercial Grade
Serial No.
Material history summary
This plank has lived three distinct lives.
The spruce grew in a managed forest owned by the Karlsson family, who has stewarded their land outside Strömsund since the late 1800s. Operating as a small-scale, intergenerational forestry business, Karlssons Skog & Timmer combines traditional woodland care with evolving silvicultural practices, emphasizing selective harvesting, hand-thinning, and natural regeneration.
This plank has lived three distinct lives.
The spruce grew in a managed forest owned by the Karlsson family, who has stewarded their land outside Strömsund since the late 1800s. Operating as a small-scale, intergenerational forestry business, Karlssons Skog & Timmer combines traditional woodland care with evolving silvicultural practices, emphasizing selective harvesting, hand-thinning, and natural regeneration.
Strömsund, June 1917
Planted around 1897, the tree was part of a dense stand that the family began thinning in the 1920s. It stood through wars, harsh winters, and long summers, growing tall and straight in deep glacial soil. In 1952, the spruce was selected for harvest as part of a planned rotation. The tree was hauled to the family’s own saw pit and milled locally. Its timber was prized for its tight grain and strength.
The original piece was first assembled as part of a large cargo crate used for railway transport across Sweden and Norway. For almost three decades it carried goods and endured countless journeys before being dismantled in 1980.
In 1982, the crate wood was cleaned, planed, and reused as exterior cladding for a new commercial building in Gothenburg. It weathered the seasons for 50 years until part of the façade was refurbished in 2038. The plank was brought to the timber terminal where it was planed and restored to its original condition. The crate plank was returned to the buiding – reclaimed, re-treated, and reinstalled as part of a focused redesign.
Gothenburg, May 2048
(cargo crate)
Façade install: 1982
Restoration and reinstallation: 2038
Gothenburg Timber Terminal
Condition: Weathered, structurally sound
Product Name
Heritage Floor Beam – Fixed Installation
Serial No.
Material history summary
The beam originates from a spruce felled in approximately 1901 in northern Sweden, and given a digital passport in retrospect in 2050.
The spruce grew in the deep boreal forest of northern Sweden, in what was then privately held land owned by the Lindgren family — smallholders who managed several hectares of mixed woodland near the village of Sorsele.
The forest had been in the family for generations, passed down since the mid-1800s as part of a self-sustaining estate combining farming and forestry.
The beam originates from a spruce felled in approximately 1901 in northern Sweden, and given a digital passport in retrospect in 2050.
The spruce grew in the deep boreal forest of northern Sweden, in what was then privately held land owned by the Lindgren family — smallholders who managed several hectares of mixed woodland near the village of Sorsele.
The forest had been in the family for generations, passed down since the mid-1800s as part of a self-sustaining estate combining farming and forestry.
Sweden, 2020
The tree likely sprouted around the early 1780s, slowly maturing through long winters and short, intense summers. Its rings tell of drought years, heavy snows, and slow, steady growth in the shade of taller pines. It was part of a naturally regenerated stand, growing freely under the cycles of nature and care.
By 1901, the Lindgrens selected several large trees for felling, this spruce among them. It was likely felled using hand tools by two brothers, Erik and Johannes Lindgren, hauled out by horse, and transported to a small riverside mill.
Sweden, 1999
The spruce was crafted into a beam that served as a structural support in a Swedish schoolhouse from 1902 to 2050. Over 150 years, the beam witnessed generations of children growing and learning beneath its span.
Sweden, 1902
Dismantled in a reconstruction of the schoolhouse in 2050, the wood was preserved and sent to the timber terminal. At the terminal, the beam was measured, assessed, and planed into a new beam, classified as C24. The beam was bought by a building company, constructing residential houses in an area in Småland. In 2050 the plank was installed in a house, currently owned by the Richardsson family.
Sweden, 2050
2025
This project is a collaboration between Point (an innovation agency based in Gotheburg) and RISE (Research Institutes of Sweden).
It has been enabled by funding from Vinnova (Sweden’s Innovation Agency).
It has been enabled by funding from Vinnova (Sweden’s Innovation Agency).
Petri Luomala
Sofia Stensson
Johan Lager
Nina Lundin
Markus Lagerqvist
Agnieszka Madej
Tove Österberg
Project’s friends:
ENTER
RISE
RISE
Point
Point
Point
Point
Point