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Timber restores industrial ruin

High-profile oat milk producer Oatly chose a dilapidated yet prominent building for its new head office: in the port of Malmö, the former foundry Gjuteriet has been transformed. The sustainable design uses plenty of wood and repurposed construction materials from the dismantled shipyard warehouses nearby.

Its advertising slogans are hugely provocative at times, and they have repeatedly shown that Swedish firm Oatly is willing to take on the milk industry. And almost noiselessly, in its white electric HGVs marked with “Here comes the Post Milk Generation”, this popular brand has reached even the most remote barista cafés and supermarket shelves. Authenticity and sustainability are at the heart of its marketing. With a self-assertive and unconventional way of conveying this message to consumers, Oatly has become a lifestyle symbol of environmentally friendly values. The same is true of Oatly’s new headquarters in the city of Malmö in southern Sweden. Gjuteriet, the ruined foundry on the site where Kockums shipyard used to operate, has been renovated according to circular principles and with an extensive use of wood.

Gjuteriet, Kjellander Sjöberg, Malmö, foundry, transformation, timber construction — The building was constructed in 1910 to produce machine parts for the ships and bridges for the shipyard.

Circular construction at its finest

Developer Varvsstaden is responsible for transforming the eponymous industrial site where Gjuteriet is located, creating a new neighbourhood for living and working. This project has revitalised the area, and the company has performed trailblazing work in its urban renewal. While the majority of the existing buildings are preserved and restored, the dismantled structures have created a stock of raw materials and components. These have been entered in an urban mining database and stored temporarily on the shipyard premises where they await subsequent integration into new constructions for the neighbourhood. This truly is circular construction at its finest.

We can reuse bricks that have been on the site for almost 100 years. They deliver a story and a contextual approach to the building.

Hannes Haak, Creative Director of the Kjellander Sjöber office in Malmö

The architects from Kjellander Sjöberg, who planned the foundry conversion, exploited this treasure trove of materials. At the beginning of the project, the existing building was in a very poor condition: the roof had fallen in and the façades running the length of the building were severely damaged. As stated in the commission brief, the renovation needed to be as sensitive as possible and retain the industrial character of the foundry, which dates back to 1910.

Doing justice to the heritage of the site and also choosing a resource-friendly construction method were both priorities. As a result, the erstwhile ruin was reinvented using building materials that had a strong temporal and spatial connection.

“We have reused bricks that have been on the site for almost 100 years. They deliver a story and a contextual approach to the building,” says Hannes Haak, Creative Director at the Kjellander Sjöber office in Malmö. Besides this, the materials library at Varvsstaden contributed floor slabs, stairs and façade panels for the conversion.

Redensification with timber

Further leverage for conserving resources came from the timber design, with solid wooden beams embracing the expression of the existing steel structure. In addition, the space is now spanned by a new timber roof, and this natural building material was chosen for the majority of the interior.

The office comprises volumes floating in this bigger space.

Johan Pitura, Director of the Kjellander Sjöber office in Malmö

“Oatly wanted to have an office under one roof and it is very literally under one roof,” says Pitura. “So we have kept what was once one big industrial space.”

Striking spatial experiences lead the eye past the office units and up to the skylights in the high ceiling. This effect serves as a constant reminder that the building has remained an industrial monument.

Volumes floating in the space

Instead of dividing up the volumes into separate floors on individual levels, the architects layered spatial units similar to a spacious shelving system. The overall spatial structure is connected via bridges and stairs, creating fascinating perspectives. “The office comprises volumes floating in this bigger space,” Pitura explains. “When people work here, they find their own spaces to be and also their own routes and their own paths of communication.”

Today, the transformed foundry Gjuteriet offers 4,900 square metres of space for around 300 workstations. And even though these are the headquarters of a private company, the historic building is open to the general public. Besides the restaurant on the ground floor, there is a café with barista coffee in the Oatly foyer.

Oatly’s carbon footprint is visible on every carton and is setting a good example for the food industry. The electrically powered HGV fleet and the circular design for its new headquarters are two huge steps in its endeavours to assume responsibility for the planet and the people who live on it, without being forced to by mandatory requirements.

Text: Gertraud Gerst
Translation: Rosemary Bridger-Lippe
Photos: Rasmus Hjortshøj – COAST

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