The Johanneberg Science Park by White Arkitekter is now complete. This new iconic landmark is located on the Chalmers University campus in Gothenburg, Sweden and acts as an incubator for the stimulation of innovations in the construction sector as well as hub for collaboration between private, public and academic sectors.

White’s design is a two-part composition connected by a bridge symbolizing the gateway between academia and a wider community. The façade consists of window bands covered by a double-functioning, surface-mounted panels; they can work as solar shading or, by rotating, can also collect and reflect sunlight back into parts of the building. The two buildings are rounded in form and oriented so that daylight is maximised in the spaces between them. Landscape surrounding the building is conceived as a green oasis where vegetation and water are important elements.

Johanneberg Science Park’s dramatic shape and glass elevations facilitate social interaction so as to facilitate knowledge exchange for the companies and organisations housed in its 8,200 sqm of floor space. The ground floor, which is open to tenants, students and the wider community, features furniture chosen for its flexibility, accommodating different types of meetings and social interaction. The building tells the story of its construction: raw concrete surfaces, traces of earthworks, chalk, fingerprints, scuff marks and knocks received during construction are left exposed.

The building was designed to meet, and ultimately exceeded, Sweden Green Building Council’s Miljöbyggnad GOLD certification. The client and tenants committed during the project to a sustainability programme which considered anything from the transport and materials used in construction to the building’s environmental footprint. Johanneberg Science Park creates a workspace for 400 people; the collegial atmosphere generated by the building’s design and programming aims to appeal and develop a much wider outreach.