Wingårdh Architects took first place in Castellum’s architectural competition to design a new office building for the Krokslätt factory district in Gothenburg. The focus of the winning submission was to make the most of the building volume, strengthen the identity of the place, and strive for improved sustainability.

A twelve-story high building with a small footprint. A building that asserts its place but is at the same time at home among Krokslätt’s many old manufacturing buildings.

Gothenburg’s Mölndalsvägen is a long arterial road, and Wingårdh aims to give the place where the road passes through the Elisedal light rail station a stronger identity. The office building is going to be visible whether you’re driving along the main arterial or the crossing road from Kallebäck, or riding the train from the city. From the street the building opens up visually, and the sketch for the ground floor shows room for a cycling lounge with locker rooms for those who bike to work.

“We propose a façade of reclaimed brick. Used bricks from Denmark can be washed clean and contribute to a lively structure,” says Wingårdh architect Anna Sunnerö.

In order to achieve a Gold certification from the Sweden Green Building Council, environmental thinking and sustainability strategies have been woven into the design from the initial conceptual stage. The project includes everything from renewable materials and the collection of rainwater for flushing toilets to solar panels that generate half the energy used in the building. A roof garden and plants on every level contribute to a calming atmosphere.

Design work is expected to begin in the fall of 2017, with construction preliminarily scheduled to get underway in the spring of 2018.