Ute Christina Groba

• Groba, Ute Christina (2025). Telling Timber – Tangible, Sensory and Associated Qualities of Wooden Materials. I Leatherbarrow, David & Shi, Yonggao (Red.), Communicative Construction. Artifice Press. ISSN 9781911339571. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Groba, Ute Christina (2023). Etudes in Wood. I Ellefsen, Karl Otto (Red.), Moholt Student Village. Pax Forlag. ISSN 9788253043937. s. 11–37. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Groba, Ute Christina (2022). Eloquent timber: Tacit qualities, telling materiality, and the inhabitants’ voice. Architecture, Structures and Construction. ISSN 2730-9886. doi: 10.1007/s44150-022-00029-w. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Groba, Ute Christina (2019). The presence of timber – Oral history versus architectural theory. I Cruz, Paulo J.S. (Red.), Structures and Architecture - Bridging the Gap and Crossing Borders. CRC Press. ISSN 9781315229126. s. 141–148. doi: 10.1201/9781315229126-17. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  If qualitative aspects of sustainability are needed to enhance timber architecture, what can we learn from architectural theory and from current best practice? The sustainability paradigm in architecture is constantly adjusting to updated building standards and to changing world views. While previously focusing mostly on empirical or quantitative aspects of sustainability, the complementary relevance of semantic and qualitative values is becoming increasingly acknowledged. It is widely accepted that timber has the potential to contribute to ecological, economic and social sustainability. However, the origin of the material, its treatment and detailing, and ultimately the overall building design quality determine if the sustainability potential of wooden materials is taken advantage of or jeopardized. This paper argues for the life time of a timber building and its constructive parts being not only determined by technical and functional concerns, but also by experiential and semantic aspects. On this backdrop, interviews with two leading architectural firms committed to working with timber reveal divergent design philosophies and approaches. The architects’ oral histories are discussed in light of architectural theories on building materiality, with a focus on how they can contribute to circular tectonics.

• Nygaard, Marius; Bashevkin, Isaak Elias; Groba, Ute Christina & Sunter, Catherine (2019). Increased Use of Timber in New Buildings in Oslo and Akershus: Potentials and GHG Emission Effects. Frontiers in Built Environment. 5. doi: 10.3389/fbuil.2019.00131. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  The choice of materials may play an important role in achieving the common European aims of near zero energy demand and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the lifecycle of buildings. The production of timber materials demands lower emissions than concrete and steel. To guide political and industrial priorities, it is vital to estimate the emission effects of increased use of timber. The article reports on a broad study that had the following aims: 1. To forecast the number, types, floor area, and location of new buildings that will be built in Oslo and Akershus counties between 2015 and 2030. 2. To estimate how many of these new buildings (a) will be and (b) could be built with timber as the main construction material. 3. To compare these timber potentials to the present and future availability of nationally and sustainably sourced and manufactured timber. 4. To estimate the effect on GHG emissions when substituting concrete and steel with timber in the production of new buildings in Oslo and Akershus counties between 2015 and 2030. The research is based on official prognoses for population growth. They are combined with building predictions derived from municipal statistics and plans. A GHG reduction factor is extracted from existing studies of the effects of conversion to timber. This factor is used to estimate the GHG saving potentials of different scenarios for timber use. Main results: • The forecast of building numbers, categories, sizes and location is a useful tool when discussing environmental, urban, industrial and architectural strategies. • Housing in 2–8 stories, not high-rise buildings, represents the biggest potential for increased use of timber in Norway. • Scientific consensus is not established regarding timber buildings and emissions. Especially the effects of carbon storage in long-lived products and use of residues for biofuel substitutes fossil fuel are still debated. To convey an order of magnitude, the different emission-saving effects are separated. • The estimates of GHG mitigation indicate that conversion to use of timber may have significant effects, but measures in the transport sector are more important for reaching the ambitious emission targets in Oslo and Akershus counties. • To be robust, the argument for timber buildings must include the perspective of a green industrial shift based on renewable resources and innovative technology, design and architecture. • The vicinity of Norway’s biggest and most rapidly growing market for timber buildings and the country’s largest forests and timber-based industries represents a unique opportunity for sustainable urban and regional development. Keywords: urban timber buildings, timber building emissions, timber potential, sustainable timber buildings, timber architecture.

• Groba, Ute Christina (2018). MAKING A CASE FOR URBAN TIMBER HOUSING – BY RESEARCH, TEACHING AND DESIGN. Proceeding Series. s. 355–388. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Groba, Ute Christina (2016). Design strategies for low-rise high-density prefabricated timber housing. I Amoêda, Rogério & Pinheira, Cristina (Red.), Sustainable housing 2016. Green Lines Institute. ISSN 9789898734228. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv

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• Groba, Ute Christina (2024). Rethinking Wood Waste and other “Timber Tales”. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Groba, Ute Christina (2024). A CASE FOR URBAN TIMBER HOUSING / TIMBER TALES / RE:SOURCE PAVILION. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Groba, Ute Christina (2024). Size, time, and value: The parts and the whole in two circularity studios at AHO. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Heltorp, Kaja Mathilde Aamodt; Groba, Ute Christina & Nyrud, Anders Q. (2023). Circular wood construction - expectations, experiences and acceptance among users, architects and industry representatives. doi: 10.52202/069179-0146. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Circularity approaches aim at keeping resources “in loop” as long as possible, both resulting in a more efficient use of resources and in avoiding waste production. A prolonged and repeated use of wood-based construction materials enhances their function as carbon sinks and as replacements of more harmful materials. Aiming to systematize circularity measures within the building sector, this paper proposes four different fields of ambition as consecutive focus areas during the life cycle of wooden building materials. The first one of these ambitions, prolonging a building’s life span, depends not only on the construction’s robustness and maintenance or the layout’s adaptability, but also on the building’s overall “lovability” and acceptance. This renders the user perspective an important part of understanding building performance and architectural quality. Based on interviews and focus groups from 2016 and 2017, insights have been gained about the experiences, expectations, preferences and values tied to wooden materials both among users and architects and how these impact the acceptance and choice of materials. Substantiated by new data collected in 2022 with architects and wood industry representatives, this paper discusses the expectations, experiences and acceptance of re-used and recycled wooden materials among different stakeholders, and how these may affect all four circularity ambitions. Results suggest that language, together with professional background, experience and responsibility inform the acceptance of re-used and recycled wood both in a short-term and in a long-term perspective; they need to be taken into account when aiming for advancing circular wood construction. The user adds an important perspective on circular wood construction that is not covered by industry representatives.

• Heltorp, Kaja Mathilde Aamodt; Groba, Ute Christina & Nyrud, Anders Q. (2023). Circular wood construction – experiences and acceptance among users, architects and industry representatives. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Circularity approaches aim at keeping resources “in loop” as long as possible, both resulting in a more efficient use of resources and in avoiding waste production. A prolonged and repeated use of wood-based construction materials enhances their function as carbon sinks and repeated use can also lead to replacement of more harmful materials. Aiming to systematize circularity measures within the building sector, this paper proposes four different fields of ambition as consecutive focus areas during the life cycle of wooden building materials. The first one, prolonging a building’s life span, depends not only on the construction’s robustness and maintenance or the layout’s adaptability, but also on the building’s overall “lovability” and acceptance. This renders the user perspective an important part of understanding building performance and architectural quality. Based on interviews and focus groups from 2016 and 2017, insights have been gained about the experiences, expectations, preferences and values tied to wooden materials among users and how these impact the acceptance and choice of materials. Substantiated by new data collected in 2022, this paper discusses how this may impact the acceptance of re-used and recycled wooden materials. The results will enable a deeper understanding of viable purposes of different wood-based materials in a circular context.

• Groba, Ute Christina & Blumer, Samuel (2023). RE:SOURCE PAVILION – EXPLORING THE CIRCULAR USE OF WOODEN BUILDING MATERIALS. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Groba, Ute Christina (2023). Eloquent Timber. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Groba, Ute Christina (2023). Eloquent timber: Tacit qualities, telling materiality, and the inhabitants’ voice - summarized results from doctoral research. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Groba, Ute Christina (2023). A Case for Urban Timber Housing – A Series of Timber Studio Courses at AHO. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Groba, Ute Christina (2021). Timber Tales: A Qualitative Study of Timber Materiality in Housing Projects. Arkitektur N. ISSN 1504-7628. s. 118–119. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Groba, Ute Christina (2021). Telling Timber. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Groba, Ute Christina (2019). The presence of timber – Oral history versus architectural theory. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Groba, Ute Christina (2018). Dialogue with engineer Hermann Blumer (Création Holz) and architect Reinhard Kropf (Helen & Hard) about their collaboration on various timber projects. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Groba, Ute Christina (2017). The Presence of Timber in Urban Housing Projects. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Groba, Ute Christina (2017). Innovative Use of Timber - Helen&Hard Architects. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Groba, Ute Christina (2017). Urban Timber Architecture: Qualities, Contradictions and Strategies. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Groba, Ute Christina (2017). Urban Timber Architecture: Constructing Loveable Timber Housing. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Groba, Ute Christina (2016). Making a case: Low-rise high-density timber housing in Norway. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Groba, Ute Christina (2016). Making a case: The potential of horizontally densified housing as a contemporary timber typology for Norwegian cities. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Groba, Ute Christina (2016). Design strategies for low-rise high-density prefabricated timber housing. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Groba, Ute Christina (2016). Making a case – a take on timber research. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Willmann, Anniken Maria Blakstvedt; Groba, Ute Christina & Eggertsson, Dagur (2025). Challenging the Demolition Default – Reimagining Frognerhjemmet. Arkitektur- og designhøgskolen i Oslo (AHO). Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Andersen, Caroline Larsen & Groba, Ute Christina (2023). Forglemmegei "Forgetmenot" – Housing for People with Dementia. Arkitektur- og designhøgskolen i Oslo (AHO). Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Groba, Ute Christina & Paulsen, Hedda Juel (2023). Next of Kin – Accommodation for Long-Term Sick Children and Their Families. Arkitektur- og designhøgskolen i Oslo (AHO). Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Marte, Gresslien; Groba, Ute Christina & Tolfsen, Ane Sønderaal (2022). Back to the Roots: The Circular City Cabin. Arkitektur- og designhøgskolen i Oslo. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Bakkebø, Andreas; Christensen, Emelie; Groba, Ute Christina & Tolfsen, Ane Sønderaal (2022). Verkstedstorget - A public workshop preserving and communicating practical knowledge. Arkitektur- og designhøgskolen i Oslo. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Groba, Ute Christina (2021). Timber Tales : A Qualitative Study of Timber Materiality in Housing Projects. Arkitektur- og designhøgskolen i Oslo. ISSN 9788254703441. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  This qualitative study addresses how architects and residents employ, experience and value wooden building materials in housing projects, arguing that buildings that are loved last longer and thus contribute to both ecological and social sustainability. Qualitative aspects are underrepresented in the common argumentation for an increased use of wooden construction materials as well as in current timber research; they are also generally absent from building codes and technical guidelines, as the main focus is on quantifiable benefits. In addition, professional views are dominant while the users’ expectations and experiences receive little attention. This thesis aims to foster a more holistic take on sustainability and to re-incorporate architectural themes into the consideration of wooden building materials. To do so, it gathers professional perspectives from academia and from practice, as well as including the views of inhabitants, who are most often laypeople. It seeks to answer the following research questions: How have materiality and particularly concepts related to wooden materials been discussed in architectural history and theory? How do contemporary architects view wooden materiality’s contribution to their architectural ambitions? How do inhabitants perceive and value the materiality of wooden constructions in the buildings they inhabit? How do these perspectives converge or diverge? In three ‘timber tales’, an overview of architectural theory related to materiality provides generalized approaches to designing with timber, which are then investigated in the contextualized built reality of recent precedents in Norway and Central Europe. Contemporary timber architects’ conception of the materiality in their housing projects is complemented by how inhabitants of these buildings experience the wooden materiality. The results of literature studies, document analyses, qualitative interviews, site visits and insights gained teaching two master’s studio courses substantiate new approaches to everyday timber architecture. They also furnish a vocabulary with which to discuss the often tacit qualities of architectural design. Furthermore, the findings reveal the untapped potential and mutual benefits of improved communication between architects and inhabitants. Although location, size or price tend to dominate the choice of a home, qualitative aspects are able to ‘up-value’ a place of residence for inhabitants; even more so if architecture is not left to speaking for itself, but when the realisation of qualities results from intersubjective processes between expert and user, such as communication by way of words or images, or participatory design processes. Regarding design, the tectonic disclosure of timber’s affordances (e.g. ways to use or modify it) should be balanced with its atmospheric and sensory qualities. This may contribute to reducing the longing for constant renewal and augmented possession and help redefine desire as a source of inspiration instead. Furthermore, architects are part of actively shaping the frameworks for the production and general reception of timber architecture. This thesis prompts the reimagination of qualities and values that contribute to more loveable built environments and raises awareness of the larger contexts with which they interact. It aspires to provide a multi-faceted background that will inspire and inform design decisions in future timber projects whilst enriching and broadening architectural discourse and education.

• Dale, Katarina Sæbø; Kjersheim, Lone; Kleven, Bente; Groba, Ute Christina & Groba, Moritz (2014). Tradera - Hardingfelesentrum i Granvin. Arkitektur- og designhøgskolen i Oslo. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv

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