Krokslätt K21 Mölndal, Sweden Office Building, Gothenburg, Swedish Factory Architecture

Krokslätt K21, Sweden

Swedish Office Development in Mölndal, near Gothenburg – design by Wingårdhs, architects

page updated 14 Nov 2016 with new photos ; 10 Jul 2014

Krokslätt Office Building

Design: Wingårdhs

Location: Mölndal, Sweden

Krokslätt Factories is an industrial area south of Gothenburg that is registered as a cultural heritage site. The large brick textile factories are now being expanded with a new development in which the primary focus is on sustainability. The development will meet the standards for a Gold certification from the Sweden Green Building Council and will be part of the comprehensive Sustainable Cities program.

Alongside the road from Gothenburg to Mölndal stand two new office buildings that are both on the leading edge of green building. The more recent of the two, K21, is 15,000 square meters of healthcare, office space, and retail inside a many-sided shell. To the east, facing the heavy traffic on Mölndalsvägen, the building has a double façade that protects from both noise and the risk of explosion.

The brightly lit but sheltering zone between the façade’s two layers serves as an important arcade for work breaks, for food, and for plants. To the south this shield projects out somewhat to deflect noise away from the end of the building. Here the plants growing behind the façade will play a role in screening out unwanted sun.

To the west there is no noise problem, but instead there is the bothersome glare of low-angle afternoon sun. The building addresses it with robust exterior blinds, a system that also makes it possible to close the entire façade during cold winter nights. The enclosed building loses twenty-five percent less heat than a typical glass façade would.