Lund hotel and conference centre, Lund, Sweden

Schmidt Hammer Lassen wins competition to design a new hotel and conference centre in Lund, in southern Sweden
This project aims at giving Lund a prominent new landmark, located at the highest point in the city. The new complex also provides Lund with a new civic hub for both business people and the general public.
Schmidt Hammer Lassen’s project pays great attention to the symbolic significance of a building located at this particular place and aim to symbolise the city's new development area.
"Our new complex will be the centre-point of Lund’s exciting new urban district. Our aim was to design a building that would reflect this dynamic of rapid change, creating a new icon for the city," says Kristian Ahlmark, associate partner in Schmidt hammer lassen.
"In the same way that the old cathedral is currently a landmark for the historic Lund, we aim to create a landmark for the new district of the city, known as the Science Village." Schmidt hammer lassen's winning project is intended to provide a focal point in the area - a building which, thanks to its many functions, will hum with activities around the clock, 24 hours a day. The project encompasses modern conference facilities, a flexible multi-purpose hall for exhibitions, trade fairs, etc., a three-storey Jacuzzi and wellness centre, as well as a restaurant at ground level. A high-rise hotel at the north-eastern corner of the site will give the new development a strong visual presence.
Sustainable solutions and low resource consumption has been a key focus in the competition. For instance this new complex will have an energy consumption which is 20-25 percent lower than the general standard for comparable projects. In this way it contributes to the overall ambitions of creating a green quarter of the city.
The idea is that the new development will become a meeting-place – a forum for business executives and cultural figures attending meetings and conferences as well as a civic hub with a busy programme of exhibitions or concerts. In architectural terms, the building adheres to the Scandinavian tradition, with a carefully considered use of natural daylight and openness. The complex is deliberately designed to appear welcoming, inviting passers-by to step inside, blurring the distinction between 'indoors' and 'outdoors'.

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