High-rise buildings, Gothenburg

The Lindholmshamnen harbor district in Gothenburg, Sweden boasts four striking monolithic high-rise buildings with vividly colored aluminum facades. Depending on the angle of the sunlight, these buildings change their appearance throughout the day and adapt to their surroundings.

The original harbor character of the Lindholmshamnen district is changing. Industrial structures and brick buildings still remind one of the original purpose of this place, but modernity is gradually taking up more space. Classic container berths are being replaced by new residential and office buildings. A number of restaurants, cafes, and bars have sprung up, and traditional urban activity is moving into the newly designed streets.

New Materials, Classic Approach

There are not many high-rise buildings in Gothenburg. Most of them have dull white facades. The newly designed classic-style buildings range from three to 16 stories and stand out for their colorful appearances and innovative facade systems. Two buildings are dark green, one is light gray, and a three-story building is brick red. All the colors connect the new district with its purpose. The brick red serves as a link to the original harbor charm of the area, the light gray acts as a bridge to the surrounding architecture of Gothenburg, while the green reflects a responsible approach to the environment. The new buildings bear the Scandinavian ecological product label "Nordic swan Ecolabel." Solar panels on the roofs generate their own energy, the irrigation system for the adjacent greenery and gardens strictly uses rainwater, and sustainable and eco-friendly products were prioritized during construction. For these reasons, the choice fell on the facade's assembled cladding PREFA folded panels 29x29, which are made of more than 90% recycled aluminum.

A Place for Everyone

"The new houses are literally for everyone, for every generation," says architect Åsa Askergren, specifying, "The three-story building is a kindergarten, while the other buildings are residential houses with a total of 133 apartments suitable for students, singles, young couples, families with children, and seniors." The largest apartments exceed 90 m² and feature four living rooms. Clean sharp lines, simple bright colors, and the overall vertical design of the new district are, as Askergren puts it, simply beautiful and beautifully simple.

Precision Work

Everything or nothing is the main motto of the roofer, or rather manager, Daniel Eriksson, who runs his father's roofing company. The family business started in 1970 with just a few employees. Today, it boasts a 25-member team, a fully equipped and luxuriously arranged workshop, and many lucrative contracts. "Clean and precise work requires 100% commitment, but also suitable resources," describes Daniel Eriksson. The Lindholmshamnen project is a typical example of this. "Each panel requires precise placement to adhere to the installation plan, and above all, to maintain optical uniformity. This is even more critical for facades than for roofs because we can examine the facade much more thoroughly from the ground than the roof. In clear geometric shapes, which the monolithic buildings in Lindholmshamnen possess, nothing escapes the human eye. A millimeter deviation in the first row will carry through to the other layers, and with accumulating inaccuracies, the tenth row will exhibit a centimeter gap. For a 16-story building, that’s unimaginable!" Another challenge of this massive project was the environment itself. "The higher you go, the more difficult it gets," Eriksson adds with a smile. The realization took place from September to the spring months, meaning winter and strong winds complicated the assembly. "It was indeed an experience, but we enjoy working with aluminum. It is easy to process and flexible. And it can be installed even in winter months," Eriksson concludes.

For the installation, PREFA folded panels 29x29 were used in a custom olive green shade, as well as standard colors in light gray and P.10 brick red. Over 6000 m² of aluminum facade were clad, consisting of more than 100,000 individual panels. For the window trims, gabled edges, and gutter systems, Prefalz sheets and system drainage components from PREFA made of the same material, in the same colors, and meeting the same folding quality were used.

About the Project

Project Name: Lindholmshamnen
Building, Location: Residential complex, Gothenburg, Sweden
Type of Construction: New building
Architects: White Arkitekter AB, Arch. Åsa Askergren Realization: Er-Jill Byggnadsplåt AB, Daniel Eriksson
Type of Facade: PREFA facade panel 29 × 29
Facade Color: Custom requested shade olive green, P.10 brick red, light gray
PHOTOGRAPHY: Croce & WIR