Vågornas väv

Location
Göteborg, Sweden

Project type
Architectural design competition (unawarded).

Year
2024

Team
Ludvig Hofsten

Client
Göteborg Energi, Sveriges Arkitekter

Description
To meet the growing demand for district cooling in Göteborg, the city's energy provider Göteborg Energi plans to construct a chilled water accumulator tank in the city center. The competition task was to design the building façade on a low budget but with high ambitions regarding architectural design and environmental impact.

The nearby Göta älv river supplies the facility with cool water. This is manifested in the accumulator tank's façade in the form of a stylized wave pattern. Inspiration was also drawn from the traditional rope works found on old sailboats moored along the riverbank.

The façade module consists of a standard-sized panel that, with three straight cuts, form four right-angled triangles in two formats. When assembled, these modules create a diamond-shaped woven pattern across the façade. By utilizing the entire panel the amount of material waste is minimized. 

The building's nighttime lighting concept is inspired by moon's reflection on water surfaces (mångata).