BUILDING A GREENER FUTURE Skanska is a global project development group based in Sweden that leads the world in the construction of environmentally friendly buildings and infrastructure. Philip Yorke reports on a company that continues to set the standards for the construction industry with its innovative and sustainable building processes.
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kanska was founded in Sweden in1887 and has grown to be one of the world’s biggest and most respected construction companies. Skanska is a complex and highly decentralised company. Being a global project-based group, the organisation is constantly changing shape as its teams of employees and subcontractors disband and regroup over the lifetime of a project. Today Skanska operates four distinct business divisions: construction, residential development, commercial property development and infrastructure. Construction is the group’s largest business stream both in terms of revenue and the number of employees. Close collaboration with its
other business units and the company’s collective financial resources, make it possible for Skanska to undertake very large and complex global projects. For example, the Skanska won the prestige contract for building the distribution centre for the renewal of the New York Trade Centre. In such vast projects, few can match Skanska’s expertise and breadth of know-how. However, today the largest business opportunity for the company is in the field of sustainable development. Skanska wants to help build a ‘Deep Green’ society, which is a place where all projects have near-zero environmental impact. Industry Europe 59
