Sustainability and green
The environment and the development of Gothenburg’s city center are the real winners of this project. The City of Gothenburg has had a long-standing wish to move the cargo terminals and freight companies from the Gullbergsvass area. One reason for this is that the air and traffic situation will improve significantly. Another reason is that this central area – about the size of the area within the city’s old moat (Vallgraven) – could instead be transformed into an attractive city district in which people could work and live.
The relocation of DHL in early 2009 was highly significant for the development of the City of Gothenburg. Many viewed it as the starting shot for the development of the Gullbergsvass district. The area, equivalent to 30 soccer pitches, is directly adjacent to Gothenburg Central Station. Today, it is dominated by logistics and cargo companies.
“The City of Gothenburg wants to create a living city district here; a diverse area where people can live, work and shop centrally,” says Lars Ivarsson, Director of the City of Gothenburg’s building office. “Fundamental to this work is that we first find solutions for the freight companies that are currently located in the area. The DHL move is the first step.”
Another big winner in the project is DHL’s employees. The old premises were cold, drafty and badly adapted to the operations. We worked in a target-oriented manner on the environment in the new facility, with improved satisfaction and wellbeing as a result.
DHL and Skanska created an environmental alliance aimed at jointly developing efficient green solutions. We constructed an energy-efficient facility with the aim of creating the smallest possible environmental footprint. The results of this work include dynamic lighting control and a bespoke air-conditioning system
