The new 54,000 square metres concert, congress and hotel complex is situated on Universitetsholmen in Malmö. The building consists of cubic areas that are twisted and given different sizes to match the directions and heights of buildings in the surrounding city. The facades are designed with a homogeneous expression to make the composition appear as one architectonic sculpture.
The ground floor is fully available to the public so that the citizens can pass through the building, whether going to a concert, congress, at the coffee shop or just want to take a shortcut. The main entrance is found at the northern part of the building, which has a classic loggia motif facing the plaza in front. From the south, visitors enter the building directly from the promenade running along the canal. The different functions of the building are organised as separate elements to resemble a small city. The lobby becomes the street, which runs through the entire ground floor and ties everything together. Like medieval cities, which had curved, narrow streets organised around plazas and squares, the lobby is designed to form small gathering places and recesses where visitors can stop, sit and enjoy the view of the canal and the park.
Inside, three volumes hold a large symphony hall, a flexible hall and a conference hall, which are clearly defined elements that, through their mutual composition, set the tone for the musicality of the building. The three building masses appear as a three- dimensional composition in glazed tiles.
Malmö Live is an open, expressive, dynamic building offering numerous activities within its architecture. The point of departure for the building’s design is the modern Scandinavian architectural tradition, which focuses on clear, functional organisation and an accessible, open ground floor layout. The building will become a focal point and landmark in Malmö, offering a setting in which the spirit of the city and its diversity and intimacy receive an architectonic expression.
Architects: Schmidtt Hammer Lassen Architects
Client: Concert Hall: City of Malmö, Hotel and congress: Skanska Sverige AB
Area: Concert, congress and hotel: 54,000m2
Status: Completed i 2015
Landscape architect: SLA
Contractor: Skanska Sverige AB
Other collaborators: Akustikon
