A symbol of the future, balance, and sustainability

Located right next to Essingeleden, one of the country’s busiest roads, the new office building will become a new landmark in Stockholm. On the triangular plot, a 23,000-square-meter building spread over eleven floors will rise. 13,000 of these square meters will house Skanska’s new headquarters, while the building will also feature additional workspaces, a gym, rooftop terraces, and public areas. 

Olivin isn't just meant to symbolize sustainability—the building itself will be constructed sustainably as well.  

Skanska’s goal is for the building to be certified under two of the most ambitious environmental certification standards: LEED Platinum and NollCO2. This means, among other things, that the building’s entire life cycle will be assessed for its environmental impact and that all emissions will be offset to achieve net-zero emissions.  

Everything purchased for the project is evaluated based on its carbon footprint. 

Two new towers with apartments and office space in the northern part of the arena

Linköping Arena is a FIFA-approved soccer facility built primarily for Linköpings FC's women's team. Construction began on August 29, 2011, and the arena was inaugurated on May 5, 2013, when Linköpings FC faced KIF Örebro in the Damallsvenskan women's soccer league. Linköping Municipality has signed an agreement with the company Botrygg to rent the facility. Linköping Arena has a seating capacity of 8,500, of which 7,400 are seats. 5,000 of the seats are covered.

In 2015–2016, two towers with office space and corporate apartments were built, along with a secondary school in the southern part of the arena. Work is now continuing, this time with two more towers in the northern part of the arena. The two towers, which will be 8 and 14 stories high, will also contain office space and apartments. These two towers cover approximately 11,000 m2, divided into approximately 230 apartments. Tower three was completed in December 2017 and tower four is scheduled for completion in October 2018. There are an average of 110 workers on the construction site, of whom approximately 60 are carpenters.

“It’s at least twice as fast”

Europrofil has supplied interior wall, exterior wall, and suspended ceiling profiles for the arena. In the two southern towers, fixed suspended ceilings have been installed in the traditional manner. A frame consisting of primary and secondary profiles has been suspended. This is a well-known and widely accepted construction method.

In the two northern towers, Botrygg has chosen to build free-standing suspended ceilings instead. The apartments are relatively narrow, which means that the span can be easily constructed without any additional measures. Another simplification is that they have chosen to build these with WallClick rails. This has proven to be quick, easy, and effective.

A carpenter who helped assemble large parts of the roof says:

– There is really only one thing to pay extra attention to, and that is to make sure that the locking functions on both sides are aligned.

Once this is done, the studs can be quickly and easily installed in the click fasteners. He continues:

Compared to the roofs we built in the previous towers, installation is probably at least twice as fast. Maybe even 60% faster.

This statement is confirmed by Daniel Johansson, site manager:

– When I compare the times from the southern towers and the northern ones, there is a clear difference. In hindsight, it's a shame that Europrofil didn't manage to convince me right from the first towers.

A comparison between the suspended ceilings in the first two towers and the self-supporting WallClick solution in the latter two towers shows a saving of 15–20% in material costs. Add to that the time savings, and the success is clear.

Facade replacement with minimal impact on residents in the area

On Sångspelsgatan in Hisingsbacka, there are three rental properties owned by Stena Fastigheter. The properties were built in 1961 and have a total of 123 rental apartments. In February 2017, MVB began work on the renovation.

The work is expected to be completed in early 2018. MVB is one of Sweden's largest privately owned construction companies. MVB is active in house, land, and road construction, as well as project development.

MVB's task is to add insulation, replace windows, and update the façade. Since the residents will remain in their homes while the renovation is underway, this places high demands on the contractor. They must minimize the impact on the residents. The window replacement is really the only thing that directly affects the residents—all other renovation work is done from the outside.

Focus on the environment and well-being

Stena places great emphasis on energy efficiency and the living environment, which is reflected in the choice of materials and measures taken in its properties. Stena Fastigheter's vision is to offer long-term sustainable housing and premises in environments where people enjoy living and working. The company invests considerable resources in maintaining and developing its existing properties while also building new ones.

Stena wants to create safe and stable areas where residents can feel secure and stable. It also devotes considerable resources to reducing the environmental impact of its properties. This mainly involves reducing energy consumption in the form of electricity, heating, and water. This benefits residents, owners, and, above all, the environment. Stena's goal is to reduce energy consumption for heating and water by 20 percent and electricity by 30 percent between 2010 and 2020.

A challenge

The conditions for installing the new façade were not ideal. The façade was uneven and worn, and could not support any fixings.

1,400 holes were drilled to secure the steel frame. The facade was straightened and additionally insulated with 120 mm mineral wool. On top of this, new cladding from Ivarsson has been installed. The roof of the building has been insulated with an additional 200 mm of insulation, and the building has been equipped with a new heat recovery system. The windows are being replaced with more energy-efficient alternatives.

Europrofil has delivered a solution with vertical slotted exterior wall studs, CY120, onto which a wind barrier and a vertical 45 mm hat profile have been mounted as a base for new facade cladding. The C-profile has been anchored to the rear joist edge because the existing sandwich facade could not bear the load.

Saving time on the project thanks to Europrofil's facade system

Thanks to Europrofil's system, the time required for installing the steel frame, insulation, and wind barrier has been approximately one hour per m2.

A project like this places high demands on both suppliers and contractors, not least because the residents in the area should be affected as little as possible. The logistics must be planned down to the smallest detail so as not to clutter the entire area with materials, while at the same time ensuring that the right materials are always on site to avoid delays.

The project manager at Europrofil explains:

– Good communication between us and the customer is essential for a project like this to run according to schedule. We need to plan our production to ensure that the availability of materials and any changes in conditions do not cause any obstacles.

The choice was between demolishing and rebuilding or completely renovating.

Serneke Group AB is a group operating in construction, civil engineering, project development, and property management. The company was founded in 2002, has its headquarters in Gothenburg, and conducts its main operations in Sweden.

In 2015, Serneke was commissioned to renovate an apartment building on Tellusgatan in Gothenburg. The property, which was built in 1968, is owned by Familjebostäder and currently has 169 rental apartments. The renovation needs were extensive, as the building had a poor brick facade and required PCB and asbestos remediation. The exterior walls were very weak and consisted mainly of plaster, cellular plastic, and brick. The choice was between demolition and new construction or total renovation. The latter option was chosen.

A more energy-efficient living environment

In addition to the obvious need for renovation, the aim was also to create a safer, more secure, and more energy-efficient living environment, a task that was entrusted to the architectural firm Okidoki.

Among other things, all stairwells and entrances have been redesigned to let in more light and create a safer and more inviting environment. The windows have been replaced with more energy-efficient alternatives, and the building has been supplemented with a significant solar cell installation on the roof and a heat recovery system to further improve the building's energy performance. Inside, the building has been completely renovated. Only a few walls have been retained.

The building has been upgraded with 120 mm of additional insulation, complemented by new facade cladding. The new facade is something that really stands out. All facade panels have been lettered to ensure the architectural expression.

Daniel Albinsson, supervisor responsible for the facade on Serneke's project:

– The façade was in very poor condition. The exterior walls were very weak and consisted mainly of plaster, cellular plastic, and brick. The brick façade could not bear the weight of fixings, so it was definitely a challenge to solve. We have around 70 people working on different aspects of the renovation every day. We have been working on it since August 2015 and should be finished by summer 2018.

From proposed solutions to quantity calculations and delivery

Europrofil has contributed with proposed solutions for the underlying frame for the new façade. The frame has been constructed with vertical CY profiles fixed with the so-called Tellus angle. This angle is attached to the rear edge of the joists in order to bear the necessary load. Wind barriers and ventilated facade battens have been installed on top of this. Europrofil has also contributed with quantity calculation assistance when the pressure at the workplace has been high.

The project manager at Europrofil explains:

A project like this places high demands on both the contractor and us as the supplier. Conditions and deliveries often change rapidly, so it is important to be responsive and anticipate the customer's needs. When building in a metropolitan environment, delivery planning is also important. You simply cannot deliver everything at once due to lack of space, but you also cannot run out of materials. The most important thing is to maintain good communication between all parties.

A new concept with innovative special solutions from Europrofil

One of the many projects currently under construction in the Hyllie district of Malmö is the Eden office building. Contractor MVB has been commissioned by Kungsleden to complete the building in the second quarter of 2021.

The building is Kungsleden's first new construction project and also the first time the company has applied its own Symbiotic Building concept. The Symbiotic Building concept can be implemented in both new and existing buildings and requires that aspects in four areas be fulfilled:

• Health – the building should be good for people's well-being and promote creativity, efficiency, and performance.
• Service – the building should have a community feel and offer services that make life easier, such as parcel deliveries, catering, meeting rooms, and more.
• Intelligent and smart technology – the building will offer innovative solutions such as digital tools for internal communication, sensors that show available space, temperature indicators, plants that purify the air, technology that encourages movement, areas for testing new technology, and more.
• Close to nature – nature should also be close by indoors, especially in communal areas. Sounds, light, scents, and materials should also imitate nature.

The first sod was turned in November 2019. Occupancy is expected in the second quarter of 2021. The building will be certified according to LEED (at least gold level) and The Well Building Standard.