Home Detail Inspiration Shop

Situated in a former shipyard area in the new urban district of Västra Hamnen (“Western Harbour”), this administrative building occupies a central location. It forms the edge of the district square, which in turn marks the end of the basin where boats dock. The brick and steel constructional elements are a reference to the history of the town as an important shipbuilding centre and lend the structure an industrial character. Originally, the scheme was planned as a flexible office development for various users. Based on grid dimensions of 5 x 5 m, the layout can accommodate different forms of office organization, from single cells to combination and open-plan offices. The individual areas can also be divided into units of different sizes that are independent of each other. At present, though, the building is occupied solely by the public administration of the province of Schonen, which is responsible, among other things, for public health and local transport. Its relocation to the new structure presented an opportunity to group together at a single venue some 35 administrative units that had formerly been scattered about various towns and other locations. In this way, it was possible to strengthen collaboration between different departments. Only the ground floor restaurant is leased out separately. The main line of access to the building is via the north-east corner through a kind of broad seam that appears to divide the volume into two parts. This opening extends upwards in a step-like form, emphasizing the corner of the structure. At the same time, it is aligned with the visual axis of the lighthouse. The passageway provides a direct route to the heart of the development, a large central atrium about which all levels of the building are laid out.