Building a sustainable future Skanska

BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

Skanska Sweden, like all the companies in the Skanska Group, is committed to leading the building and construction industry in sustainable technologies and business practices.

IN early 2014 more than 1000 employees of Swedish construction company Skanska moved into a new global headquarters in Stockholm. The new office building, designed and constructed by Skanska itself, is located in the Western Kungsholmen area of Stockholm, a district that is rapidly being transformed as new homes are built right up to the water’s edge, new restaurants and shops are opening and new offices are going up all along the central boulevard.

The new head office is itself an excellent example of what Skanska can deliver in environmentally friendly design and construction. It features a carefully controlled indoor climate with Skanska’s own Deep Green Cooling patented technology through which energyefficient cooling is provided from 144 boreholes under the building. Heat in the summer is also used for pre-heating ventilation air in the winter and waste heat will be reused to provide heating for nearby homes. Environmentally-friendly pool cars will also be available as well as a large bicycle garage.

The facility also includes the latest project visualisation technology, allowing residential customers to experience and add colour to their new homes long before they are actually built; local politicians and planners are able to visualise and explore their ideas for new district developments years before they become a reality. Globally reknowned

Skanska Sweden is one of Sweden’s largest construction companies, with operations in building and civil engineering construction. Skanska in Sweden is also active in the development of residential construction and commercial premises.

The Swedish operation is, of course, part of the global Skanska Group, founded in 1887 in southern Sweden to manufacture concrete products and now one of the world’s largest construction companies, with some 57,000 employees worldwide. In Europe the Group is active not only in the Nordic markets of Sweden, Norway and Finland but also in Poland, Estonia, Czech Republic, Slovakia,

Hungary and the UK. It also has fast-growing operations in the USA and Latin America.

Skanska’s construction services include the building of large commercial and public buildings – office blocks, hospital, schools, railway stations etc – bridges, roads and private homes. The company develops residential areas to include single-family and multi-family housing and takes care of all stages of these developments, from choosing the location to planning, designing, building, marketing and sales. It sees its core competence as understanding how people want to live their lives and creating attractive new homes to meet these demands.

Recent projects

The new contracts awarded to Skanska Sweden in 2014 give a good idea of the range of the division’s capabilities. In July it signed a contract with Locum AB to rebuild and expand Södertälje hospital, Sweden. The contract is worth SEK 968 million.

The project includes a 22,000m2 emergency hospital, including a delivery ward. In addition, an existing 8000m2 building will be converted into care units with an additional 120 single rooms. The new hospital will meet the highest sustainability standards. The aim is to certify the building according to the environmental classification system Miljöbyggnad at the highest level, Gold.

This order was followed by a contract to be the general contractor for Facebook’s data centre project in Luleå, Sweden. Skanska is responsible for all infrastructure on the project, such as utilities and roads. It also constructs all sub-structure, concrete works and builds office and facilities buildings. Skanska UK and Skanska USA Mission Critical group are also supporting the project. The order is estimated to be worth around SEK 530 million.

Furthermore, in October this year Skanska signed a contract with Uppsala Country for the construction of a new healthcare building at the Uppsala University Hospital. The contract is worth SEK 1.2 billion.

The new building, with a total area of 59,000m2, will strengthen the Uppsala University Hospital and meet the needs of a growing population. It creates new facilities for advanced healthcare and treatment activities in oncology, radiotherapy and surgery.

As with the previously mentioned hospital project, the aim is to certify the building according to Miljöbyggnad at the Gold level. Construction work will start during the first quarter of 2015 and will be completed in the late summer of 2017.

Helping to build communities

Skanska’s roots in Sweden run deep – construction is largely a local activity and the company’s projects place it in numerous communities. It is committed to being a responsible and appreciated community member, based on both how it carries out its projects and on its wider contribution.

Skanska believes that focused efforts are best, so it contributes what it knows and does best. It educates in safety, green building practices, and technical know-how as well as supporting relevant local activities. n