An office building lobby that's like a Swedish summer house

26 June 2018

Our goal was to redefine a vital part of every office building by changing the function of the lobby from being a transit area to a welcoming space. Thanks to the collaboration with the world-renowned architectural studio, Henning Larsen, Skanska is creating a space with the feel of a Swedish summer house. The new lobby concept fosters health and well-being in the workplace.

In Scandinavia, Sommarstuga – a traditional Swedish summer house – is a perfect example of a place where people can rest, meet, and spend quality time. Because of its nature, Sommarstuga has become the basis for the rethinking and redesign of the Skanska office lobby.

At Henning Larsen, our Scandinavian approach aims to deliver design solutions that govern equality, innovation, and functionality. Sharing the same Scandinavian origin, we are proud to continue our collaboration with Skanska. With Henning Larsen’s experience to challenge, innovate and to redefine company culture into architectural design, we are sure of our support in transferring Skanska´s unique Scandinavian spirit to Central Europe and beyond.

Viggo Haremst Partner and Design Director at Henning Larsen's Munich office

The Danish architectural studio has created a design, whose main characteristics are flexibility and adaptability. The new Skanska lobby concept can be easily reconfigured to match the specifics of each and every futureproof office building in the company’s portfolio.

However, there are components that are common to every Sommarstuga-inspired lobby. The design is based on several key elements: warm and comfortable light, natural materials, diverse spaces for people to meet and rest, and openness to the local community. This is a truly sustainable space.

Skanska’s ambition is to change the way people think about buildings. We're contributing to a better society, and thinking about people is reflected in everything we do. The new lobby concept and advanced proptech solutions we implement in our office buildings focus on user experience. All these together aim to make time spent at Skanska developments easy and comfortable. I believe our collaboration with Henning Larsen will transform the Central European office market.

Katarzyna Zawodna, President and CEO at Skanska’s commercial development unit in CEE

The first lobby designed with Henning Larsen is already being created for a Skanska office project in Warsaw – the high-rise building at the Spark complex. Spark is the first office project in Poland to gain a WELL certificate, which is scheduled for the fourth quarter of this year.

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Skanska

Skanska is one of the leading development and construction companies in Europe. Outside the Nordics, the company has European operations in building construction and civil engineering in Poland, Czech Republic & Slovakia, and the UK. Skanska develops commercial properties in selected home markets in Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, and Hungary, while the residential development is active in Prague and Warsaw. Skanska also offers services in public-private partnerships. In 2017, Skanska had sales of SEK 37 billion and about 16,000 employees in its European operations.

More information can be found at www.skanska.com/property

Henning Larsen

Henning Larsen is a Copenhagen-based architectural studio with seven offices worldwide. The studio specializes in identity-creating social spaces that encourage human activity and interaction. Henning Larsen is currently involved in several large-scale urban regeneration projects of former industrial sites and heritage sites throughout Europe, Asia, and North America.

More information can be found at henninglarsen.com

Paweł Luty

Senior PR Consultant at Linkleaders

+48 533 890 507