Lilla Bommen (building)

Lilla Bommen
Lilla Bommen, building
General information
Status	Completed
Type	Office
Location	Gothenburg, Sweden
Coordinates	57°42′48″N 11°58′4″E / 57.71333°N 11.96778°E / 57.71333; 11.96778
Construction started	1986
Completed	1989
Owner	Vasakronan
Management	Vasakronan
Height
Antenna spire	86 m (282 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	22
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Ralph Erskine
Structural engineer	White arkitekter
Main contractor	Skanska

The Lilla Bommen named after the surrounding location of Lilla Bommen, commonly referred to as Läppstiftet (The Lipstick),^[1] is an 86 m (282 ft), 22-floor building housing office, networking and restaurant spaces in Gothenburg, Sweden. The building’s distinct post-modern^[2] architectural style, popularly referred to as “The Lipstick” due to its distinctive red-and-white colour schematic, was erected on the banks of Göta River in 1989 by Skanska Property West AB. The 32000 sqm office space which houses over 900 office workers, is a popular tourist destination for its top-floor lookout, Götheborgs Utkiken and restaurants such as the Restuarang Läppstiftet, has contributed to the landmark status of the building in the Central Gothenburg skyline.^[1]

The waterways of the area which link to the Kattegat Strait, the North Sea and the Atlantic, which historically formed Gothenburg into a significant shipping centre as Sweden’s principal seaport.^[3] The historical boom-arms dating from the 1600s which protected the important trading routes of the area, are tied into the name Lilla Bommen, (Little Boom in English), are all aspects that tied into the Swedish-British designer Ralph Erskine’s desire to embody the history and “improve human relations” to the area through his design of the Läppstiftet.^[4]

The design of the Lilla Bommen faced early negative response by the Swedish public, contributed in large part by traditional European architectural styles that generally disincentivised multi-storey office building designs and tall skyscrapers in European cityscapes.^[5] Furthermore, additional difficulties arose in the design and construction process due to the unstable foundation and location of the structure placed alongside waterways. The use of piling construction was a prominent feature of the new project that was used to support the heavy loads to overcome the issues regarding inundation and ground settlement of the waterfront location.^[4]