Photo: Linköping University

LINKÖPING UNIVERSITY’S STUDENTHUSET VOTED ‘BUILDING OF THE YEAR 2020’

14.04.2020

Studenthuset at Linköping University has just won the most prestigious prize in the Swedish construction industry – Building of the Year 2020. COWI has been part of the project since the beginning, and developed the structural design of the building for the client, Akademiska Hus.

Studenthuset gained top scores for all of the assessment criteria for Building of the Year, which contributed to its success.

The Studenthuset building was finished in time for the beginning of term in 2019. It towers over the Linköping University campus like a red colossus, giving the city a new landmark. In addition to classrooms and more than 1,000 study spaces, Studenthuset also houses a library, offices, café and restaurant. Sustainability permeated the whole project, and the building is environmentally certified to Miljöbyggnad gold class.

The project was characterised by very good collaboration among the parties. The client is Akademiska Hus, the architect is White and the contractor is PEAB. Heading the structural design, COWI was responsible for the carcass and foundations.

“It was a privilege for us to work on this project, and I’m proud that the building has won such a top prize. We were involved early on in the design of the building to realise the architect’s vision. This placed great demands on the design. The building is really massive in many ways – from the huge atrium and the suspended beams in the library, which let in so much light, to the specially designed roof covered with solar cells. I’m grateful for the excellent collaboration from everyone involved in the project,” says Roberto Caprile, Project Manager at COWI.
In all, Akademiska Hus invested SEK 460 million in the project.

MOTIVATION

A clear shared vision, followed by good collaboration among the parties involved, characterised the implementation. The project boasts innovative solutions, including extensive use of BIM project planning and parametric design. Very clear cost control enabled the project to keep construction costs down. The winner gained top scores for all of the assessment criteria for Building of the Year. Job satisfaction, pride and good leadership helped Studenthuset in Linköping to become Building of the Year 2020.

ABOUT ‘BUILDING OF THE YEAR’

Building of the Year is the most prestigious prize in the public building sector in Sweden, and is awarded by the construction industry journal Byggindustrin. The competition highlights examples of the best overall performance in the sector, based on the criteria of collaboration, sustainability, time/quality/budget, safety and technology/innovation.