COBE plans design center for global automaker geely in sweden with 'chamber of secrets'

COBE architects is planning a new and exclusive 14,000-sqm design center for global automaker geely set for completion in 2022 and located in the ‘uni3 by geely’ campus in gothenburg’s harbour front, in sweden. designed like a giant, four-story-tall machine, the multi-purpose building includes a showroom, office spaces, and a double-height ‘chamber of secrets’ on the top floor, where the completely sealed-off innovations lab is located. there, geely’s designers can test new car models in a centrally-placed sunken yard, whose floor is the glass roof of the central atrium, strong enough to support the weight of the cars.

geely design develops and executes new world-class designs for chinese automotive company zhejiang geely holding group (geely). the company’s portfolio of brands includes world-known swedish brand volvo car, US-based terrafugia, which aims to develop flying cars for private users, and the only four-year-old brand lynk & co (previous coverage here), which offers an innovative netflix-like subscription service for electric cars.all images courtesy of COBE

COBE has developed the new design center on gothenburg’s harbour front as the setting for geely design‘s development of, among others, the young electric car brand lynk & co in a unique campus named ‘uni3 by geely’. the multi-purpose building will strengthen and reflect the company’s identity, defined by themes such as ‘personal’, ‘new tech’, ‘dark’, ‘urbanism’, and ‘respect’. the relationship between private and public areas has played a major role in the design process of the project, since copying is a major challenge in the automotive industry. as such, it was important to protect the ongoing development of new cars from prying eyes, but at the same time make sure that the center appears open and welcoming to visitors and locals.

COBE has addressed the delicate relationship between private and public areas by dividing the building in four stories. a showroom has been placed on the ground floor, which can be accessed via a large public square with access to the waterfront, while the two middle floors contain meeting rooms, offices, and a canteen. finally, on the top floor lies the double-height ‘chamber of secrets’, where geely’s designers can develop and test new models in the completely sealed-off innovations lab. the sunken yard at the center of the lab allows designers to move new models outside in order to register how daylight is reflected in the surface of the car. other functions also include large spaces with room for constructing clay models of cars in a scale of 1:1, as well as dark areas where virtual designers can work on giant screens.

‘we are very excited to work with geely group on their new design center in the heart of gothenburg’s buzzing and beautiful harbour front,’ says dan stubbergaard, architect and founder of COBE. ‘electric vehicles are the way of the future and geely group’s innovative strategy and new ideas within this field fit perfectly with our mindset. lynk & co’s coming subscription service for electric cars, among others, is a potential gamechanger in the transition from fossil fuels to a more green, energy-efficient and co2-neutral transportation. hopefully the new design center can help to promote this urgent transition even further.’

the danish architecture studio has drawn from the automotive universe for the building’s exterior materials, which include glass and metal on the façade, and concrete on the terrain. the façade is open and transparent on the ground floor, and gradually becomes more private toward the upper part of the building as the metal slats are spaced closer and closer together in a vertical progression. inside, the material palette similarly resembles the softer interior universe of cars, with an emphasis on light curtains, comfortable furniture and sophisticated detailing.