Our assignment
Skanska has functioned as developer and general contractor for the new Court of Appeal in Malmö. The building encompasses 10,000 square meters spread over four floors and a basement level, and it is located right beside the water on the small island of Universitetsholmen in Malmö.
Due to the very special nature of the operations conducted in the building, the tenant (National Courts Administration) and the user (Court of Appeal) were highly involved in the project. Careful planning was a fundamental requirement and the premises were adapted based on the requirements and without compromising on the property’s beautiful architecture. The building was designed by the Danish architect Kim Holst Jensen at Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects.
The project was characterized by a high degree of cooperation within Skanska – Skanska Sverige was the general contractor, Skanska Öresund the developer, Skanska Teknik the project engineer, Skanska stomsystem delivered and assembled the structural system and Skanska Financial Services functioned as the advisor in contractual issues. Sub-contractors were engaged for heating, ventilation and sanitation engineering, electricity, flooring and painting.
The building is currently occupied by the Court of Appeal, the Regional Rent Tribunal and the Government Offices.
Construction process
Construction work commenced in December 2006. The first task was to demolish an existing building situated on the site. This was followed by extensive rerouting of cables and pipelines. In the site and in the land next to the property, the number of cables and pipes we encountered were over and above the normal volume. For example, we had to move a water main that was 600 millimeters in diameter. The foundation slab and basement walls were subsequently cast in-situ using waterproof concrete.
The curved facades with no straight lines also placed major demands on setting-out process. The building has no load-bearing walls other than the stabilized prefabricated stairwell walls. The load-bearing structural system comprises steel pillars in the exterior wall and inner columns and prefabricated floor slabs.
Dynamic and exciting appearance
The façade comprises 2,600 fiber concrete “stones” that we have mounted in an irregular pattern. Combined with the dark color, this gives the building a dynamic and exciting appearance.
The roof comprises a pitched timber design clad using a roofing membrane. In the future, a fifth level can be added to the property if so required.
The property’s interior walls are easy to move and adapt, thus facilitating any necessary remodeling work in the future.
Bright and welcoming
To ensure that visitors feel welcome, we have created a large and bright opening with a stainless-steel glass section. The entrance level has been skimmed using a pigmented plaster and is bright and welcoming.
In the middle of the building, we have built an open atrium courtyard with a glass roof. This roof is a full 16 meters in height and the walls have an acoustic plaster finish that dampens noise.
Nine session chambers of varying sizes
The new Court of Appeal comprises four floors plus a basement. The entrance level is where the general functions are housed – reception, consultation rooms, information rooms, offices, nine session chambers of varying sizes and equipment. Each chamber has been painted is a characteristic color tone in the form of wide stripes on two opposing walls.
Five of the chambers are furnished for proceedings involving detainees, two for civil cases and criminal trials not involving detainees and two for use by the Regional Rent Tribunal. One of the rooms features a raised level of security and has been equipped with a glass partition that can be deployed between the public seating area and the court. The upper levels are furnished for offices.
Indoor climate a priority
A healthy indoor climate in the property is extremely important and the supply of air is comes from air intake vents on the roof via the air intake system located in the basement. Exhaust air is subsequently returned via the exhaust air system with heat exchange connected between the intake and exhaust battery. The rooms are supplied with cooling by way of cooling baffles.
Property’s floors
The building’s five floors contain the following functions:
- Basement: Garage, technology, archive, detention cells
- Ground floor: Session chambers, public waiting room, offices and detention cells
- Second floor: Government Offices, Regional Rent Tribunal, National Courts Administration
- Third floor: Offices for Court of Appeal
- Fourth floor: Offices for Court of Appeal
