A closer look at schmidt hammer lassen's Malmö Live, the 2016 Swedish Building of the Year

On the artificial island of Universitetsholmen in Malmö stands a dynamic trio of buildings known as the Malmö Live complex, which was designed by schmidt hammer lassen architects. Completed last May, the project is quickly turning into a cultural hotspot for the city and has garnered positive attention from designers and the public alike. Most recently, Malmö Live won the 2016 Swedish Building of the Year Award. Rendered in a color palette that is complementary to the city, the project's eye-catching sculptural exterior also won Best Façade.

Organized to represent a "small city", the three-volume complex consists of a concert and conference halls, and a hotel. The award jury praised the winning team for how they handled the complicated project site, which includes neighboring structures and a railway tunnel that is currently under construction.

Read on for more about the project from the architects below.

"Malmö Live is an open, expressive building [that provides space for] 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 architects describe.

"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 [54,000 square-meter project] 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 publicly accessible, so people can easily pass through the building as they are on their way to a concert, a conference, the coffee shop, or taking a shortcut while walking about the city.

"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."

"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."