Hyllie

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Located in the Hyllie district of Malmö, Sweden, this 12-storey residential building is EcoCocon's most vertically ambitious project to date — and the tallest straw-wall structure in the world. Developed by ETC Byggentreprenad AB and designed by Kaminsky Architects, the building comprises 52 rental apartments alongside ground-floor café and office space, with a total floor area of 5,000 m².

The structural core is built entirely from solid wood — including the elevator shaft — and meets Passive House standards throughout. EcoCocon's industrially pressed straw panels, covering 1,500 m² of the building envelope, form the climate shell: a natural, renewable insulation layer with high thermal performance and long-term carbon storage capacity.

The panels were delivered to ETC's prefabrication facility in Hultsfred, where they were assembled into complete wall elements with window and door openings already integrated. The finished elements were then transported to Malmö and lifted into place floor by floor — a hybrid process that enabled rapid on-site assembly, minimal waste, and a dry construction site throughout, including during winter months.

Solar energy is embedded across multiple elements of the design: the steep east-west gable roof, the façade cladding, and the balcony railings — all fitted with solar panels. Combined with geothermal heating, the building is designed to achieve a climate-positive energy balance, eliminating the need for district heating or combustion-based heat sources.