Kuggen (Swedish for 'the (cogwheel) cog') is a building owned by a

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more general ...

company called Chalmersfastigheter as part of

Chalmers University of Technology Chalmers University of Technology ( sv, Chalmers tekniska högskola, often shortened to Chalmers) is a Swedish university located in Gothenburg that conducts research and education in technology and natural sciences at a high international leve ...

in Gothenburg, Sweden. It was designed by Wingårdh arkitektkontor. Construction started in October 2010 and completed in March 2011. The building is located on the Lindholmen campus and is connected to the neighboring buildings Jupiter and

Science Park A science park (also called a "university research park", "technology park”, "technopark", “technopole", or a "science and technology park" (STP)) is defined as being a property-based development that accommodates and fosters the growt ...

by two walkways on the first floor. The Kuggen building serves as an academic link between Lindholmen and companies in fields such as mobile data communications and media design.

Design

The exterior is made of six different shades of red and two shades of green. The building is finished in a glazed

terracotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terracotta ...

. ”Kuggen” is circular to minimize the ratio between skin and area. Every floor level adds two bays making the building grow larger in size for every added floor. The center of each circle shifts so the southern elevation gets the longest shadow. A movable sunscreen tracks the sun and adds to the shade of the two top floors. (Existent buildings cast their shadows on the lower levels). A Science Park occupies the lower floors, while the second floor is designated for public use and can serve as an exhibition space. The upper floors are reserved for commercial office use.

Green building

Kuggen makes use of green building technology on six different levels: adaptive ventilation; adaptive lighting; interactive heating and cooling systems; photovoltaic cells integrated into a screen system that provides additional shade and electricity; a roof-mounted array of sun collectors that aid the heating tap water; and effective daylighting. The ceramic panels used for the facade were chosen for their longevity. The windows are triangular allowing daylight to follow the ceiling deep into the building while staying at a low ratio (30%) of the elevation surface. The result is a building that aims to limit energy consumption to 60 kWh/m2 per year—well below what is considered a green building—while providing temperature within individual offices between 22 and 26 degrees Celsius.

Awards

* MIPIM Sustainability award (2009) * Nominated in the category "Learning" for the World Architecture Festival 2011 in Barcelona.

References

External links

Книга Taschen о советской архитектуре
{{authority control Buildings and structures in Gothenburg Gert Wingårdh buildings Office buildings completed in 2011 2011 establishments in Sweden Hisingen