Krokslätt K21 | Wingårdhs

Krokslätt Factories is an industrial area south of Gothenburg that is registered as a cultural heritage site. The large brick textile factories were originally built between 1890 and 1907. They 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. The system can also be adjusted individually, of course: someone working late on a winter evening shouldn’t have to be shut in behind a metal shell. The color variations of the blinds give the building a variegated look, and the range of colors resonates with the wood feel that dominates the building as a whole.