Malmo Lighthouse

Politecnico di Milano, Polytechnic University of Milan, School of Design

Project idea

The main idea of the project is to demonstrate the possibility of a tall building to co-exist with the low-rise context and nature harmlessly. It is possible to introduce a dominant that will respond sustainable requirements and the necessities of the city.

Project description

Cross-cultural and future-forward, the tower in Malmo is located on Vastra Hamnen sea shore, facing the Oresund bridge connecting Denmark to Sweden. Not only: the tower is on the same site as Kockumskranen – the largest naval crane in the world. The removal of the crane left an unhealed trauma in Malmo’s inhabitants: the tower pays homage to the collective memory with the tallness of 146 m, the same height of the Kockum’s crane.

Given the position, the tower becomes a lighthouse welcoming visitor from the Oresund strait, both from water and from the bridge. The illumination design recalls the northern lights, beautifully defining the tower presence in the night sky. Balancing the taller neighbor, Turning Torso, the tower creates a visual gateway to the city of Malmo. Moreover, Vastra Hamnen is becoming the new green urban development area and soon will host the metro line to Copenhagen: part of the podium is metro station.

During the elaboration of the project several factors were analyzed to provide a design that will semantically complete the undeveloped and the most important part of Malmo - the peak of Vastra Hamnen.
Since we were working on the site in the district that is the national example of sustainability, we must anticipate the sustainable issues and their solutions. The facade utilizes a ventilated system with aluminum cladding, that is 100% recyclable. Together with this material we integrated photovoltaic panels after an attentive climate analysis along with the assessment of efficiency for such solutions.

The main purpose of the building is a Climate Research Laboratory with the facilities for employers, including residential spaces and rental units. The bottom part of the project - the podium - is the transitional point between the surrounding context and the tower. It is strongly connected functionally to the tower, while the scale and facade solutions are harmoniously introduced in the existing urban fabric. However, all the volumes rely on one holistic idea and cannot be perceived separately.

Technical information

The structural choice for the tower is driven by the sustainably approach. Most of the elements, such as walls and slabs, are constructed with CLT panels. The panels are composed of recyclable, zero kilometre wood material and are locally produces, minimising the carbon dioxide footprint. The finishing cladding of the tower is introduced by an aluminium ventilated facade. Creating the chimney effect, the air gap between the cladding and the wall contributes to the temperature control of the interiors, decreasing energy consumption. Moreover, the photovoltaic panels are used on the sides oriented towards the sun. For stability, metal beam and column bearing structure is chosen. The columns are located at the perimeter of the building, allowing open space interiors and light penetration.