Malmö Live

A series of cubic volumes turns and twists to adapt itself to the waterfront, shaping a sculptural architecture designed by schmidt hammer lassen architects to house a concert hall, a congress centre and an hotel in Malmö, Sweden.

schmidt hammer lassen architects, Malmö Live, Malmö, Sweden
The new 54,000 square metres concert, congress and hotel complex completed by schmidt hammer lassen architects is situated on Universitetsholmen in Malmö, Sweden.
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.
schmidt hammer lassen architects, Malmö Live, Malmö, Sweden
schmidt hammer lassen architects, Malmö Live, Malmö, Sweden

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.

schmidt hammer lassen architects, Malmö Live, Malmö, Sweden
schmidt hammer lassen architects, Malmö Live, Malmö, Sweden

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.


Malmö Live, Malmö, Sweden
Program: concert, congress and hotel complex
Architects: schmidt hammer lassen architects
Landscape architect: SLA
Contractor: Skanska Sverige AB
Other collaborators: Akustikon
Clients: City of Malmö (Concert Hall), Skanska Sverige AB (Hotel and congress)
Area: 54,000 sqm
Completion: 2015

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