When the last boat left the slipway at Lindholmen shipyard in 1976, operations ceased after almost 130 years. The last shipyard worker clocked out. Göteborg’s days as a world-leading shipbuilding city were in the past.

The city’s search for a new identity led to one of Europe’s largest urban development projects, Norra Älvstranden in Göteborg.

Lindholmen Science Park is the heart of this district, with the actual epicentre going by the name of Navet. A meeting point with an expressive pose designed by White.

Right from the start, Lindholmen Science Park has attracted leading-edge commercial enterprises, and the district now houses prominent technology companies such as Volvo, Ericsson, Hasselblad, Sigma and Semcon. By encouraging a free flow between universities, research and the commercial sector, Lindholmen Science Park will generate new ideas, products, applications and projects. Three areas of knowledge are given particular priority: mobile Internet, modern media and telematics/intelligent transport.

The Navet building is situated at the intersection between Campus Lindholmen and the newly established technology companies. Identifying a design for this central structure was the essence of the assignment.

“At the start it was a little tricky getting the finances to work sufficiently effectively. This may not sound like an architectural dilemma, but we constantly have to find solutions that are economically sustainable. We were forced to employ rational economic solutions and efficiency in the setup,” explains Åke Johansson, chief architect for Navet. Åke has been involved in the development of Norra Älvstranden for many years.

After a period of investigating various conceptual solutions, the building’s shape was identified, which in turn delivered the continued process. The special floor design allowed Navet to create a sheltered forum for meetings, together with Chalmers’ existing buildings. This square is the meeting place, the social arena for the entire area. The attractive environment is reinforced with outdoor cafés and risers providing seating overlooking the river and the water.

The building’s two lower floors, which house the publicly oriented activities, are characterised by generous openness. Towards the square, Navet opens up with glazed facades and the prominent points sticking out in what is to say the least an expressive pose. The upper floors have an impressive ‘black box’ design suspended above the glazed façade.

“The façade material is interesting, an 8 mm thick high-pressure laminate from Perstorp. It is actually used both on the façade and on the reception desk. We hadn’t worked with this material before, and the site manager was sceptical. He broke a piece off and placed it ostentatiously in a can of water to show that it would never last. Eight months later he had to admit defeat.”

Åke Johansson is one of White’s most experienced architects, and probably the one who has been most involved in the enormous Norra Älvstranden project.

“Every time I come to Navet I feel a sense of joy. This is a well implemented project, about which both owners and users are positive.”

The Navet project

Address:
Lindholmspiren, Norra Älvstranden, Göteborg, Sweden
Client:
Navet Fastighets AB (Norra Älvstranden Utveckling AB, NCC Property Development AB)
Turnkey contractor:
NCC Construction
Architect:
White
Related links:
www.alvstranden.com
www.navet.info
www.lindholmensciencepark.se

The people behind Navet

Architecture:
Åke Johansson (chief architect), Joakim Hansson, Agne Revellé, Hans Pålsson, Jonas Häggström.
Landscape:
Anders E. Johansson, Stefan Rummel.
Interior:
Elisabeth Rosenlund.
Environment:
Anne Lanne.
Contact:
Åke Johansson, chief architect
Tel +46 31 60 86 00

Figures

Year of construction:
2002-2003
Office space:
12,400 square metres
Shop space:
2,100 square metres
Gross area:
21,000 square metres BTA
Number of floors:
6
Occupation:
November 2003