Colorful building became Gothenburg’s landmark
After seven years in the works, the 86-meter high building was inaugurated in 1989. For Skanska, the target was to create an office building with qualities that went above and beyond the norm.
With his unconventional and colorful style, architect Ralph Erskine gave Gothenburg a new landmark while also restoring contact between the city and the water.
Today, Lilla Bommen is an inspiring meeting place with 22 stories. About 1,000 people work in the building, which is visited each day by customers, conference guests and the public.
The building’s red and white colors and its shape were inspired by Gothenburg’s links with ships and maritime trade. While the building’s special design and color scheme were the subject of considerable debate, this is what makes it entirely unique and it remains a distinctive feature and symbol of Gothenburg today.
For Skanska, the project entailed a change of direction. After the Lilla Bommen project, architectural and esthetic qualities were given greater scope in Skanska’s own projects.
Lilla Bommen houses a lookout dome, restaurants, a bank, convenience stores, conference facilities and exercise studio. Ralph Erskine was careful to ensure that the building would be open and accessible for all the people of Gothenburg.
The actual construction process was both inspiring and difficult. The time between design and production was short and the unconventional architecture forced the construction engineers to really think long and hard. The end result was a colorful and functional building that was named European Office Building of the Year in 1991 at the MIPIM real estate exhibition
