Science Towers Jönköping

Science Towers Jönköping

An exciting meeting between two characters merged into one. A balanced brick structure with an inviting glass vault lays the foundation for the burgeoning glass facade that rises from its center. Along the street a sense of proportion. With eyes above dizzying feelings of possibility. Welcome to Jönköping's forward-looking innovation cluster. Here we present our competition proposal for Jönköping's new Science Towers, where we, together with Yellon and BSV architects & engineers, competed in parallel assignments.

Year

2019

Location

The success 1, 553 18 Jönköping

Customer

Jönköping Municipality's Fastighetsutveckling AB

Contact

Markus Bergerheim

0765-48 70 67

mabe@liljewall.se

The inspiration is taken from the ring of older brick buildings with neoclassical symmetry and decorated austerity that surrounds the property.

Conditions

As Jönköping grows, the municipality wants to invest further in the city’s innovation cluster Science Park. Therefore, the municipality is now investing in a Science Tower, which is supposed to become a new living room for entrepreneurship, where the Science Park comes closer to the city’s residents. An approximately 14,000 square meter building will be a natural addition to Jönköping’s dynamic cityscape and the future meeting place for business, entrepreneurship and academia. The project must be carried out in a sustainable way, especially economically and ecologically.

We started the competition by brainstorming different volumes and expressions. Here is a selection of the variations we made.

Analysis and design

Science Park is located in the Väster district of Jönköping. In the middle of some of the most notable buildings and public places in the city such as Juneporten, Rådhusparken, Sofiakyrkan, Västra Torget and the neighboring Jönköping University. Several of these are brick buildings from which we have drawn inspiration. We have taken care of the symmetry and simplicity in form and material that is characteristic of the area. Simplicity and raw materiality are also a hallmark of Science Park’s premises.

The building consists of a plinth that relates to the surroundings in terms of materials, elements and scale, and a high part that is divided into three parts to provide a slimmer experience. It ends with a crown in the form of a loosened roof terrace.

When you walk along the street, you don't see the top of the building as it is centered on the plot. The experience instead becomes the building's plinth in two storeys that relate to the heights and materials of the surrounding houses.

On the ground floor there is a restaurant and generous areas for co-working.

With room for innovation

We wanted to create a building that speaks to the historical and public context of Jönköping, while at the same time being an innovative tower that contributes to a bold urban silhouette with a human scale. The proposal is based on Science Towers meeting both the city and the university by creating many meeting rooms both inside and outside the building. In this way, we strengthen the neighborhood structure and create more exciting spaces in the city.

The entrance hall with the reception in the background.

The building in its entirety from Gjuterigatan.

Science Towers is strongly connected to the city via internal and external routes. The paths are clearly marked with strict selection of plant and soil material, which leads visitors to the entrance points. With ground covering of bricks and water mirrors, entrances of different character are created which become a living space and break that attracts visitors further into the building.

The cross section shows the different floors of the house.

Here we see the entrance floor with its functions and flows. When you enter via the main entrance, you are met by the reception, the restaurant, co-working spaces, exhibition space and Science Park employees who have offices here.