Volvo World opens in Gothenburg – corporate news, business and industry (other), museums | News | bus planner – technology – public transport

Almost all premium manufacturers have a “brand world” where they were founded. Of course, sooner or later there had to be a Volvo World in Gothenburg, where the museum would be the center of fans of the brand until the end of 2023, but it was a little far. Instead, in the Volvo World you cleverly combine the past and the future. In a large wooden building (whose basic construction comes from Austria), which can be transformed into an experience center, including meeting rooms, a restaurant or a comfortable place to stay.

The architecture was created by Henning Larsen Architects with a vision to build a building based on the history of the Scandinavian environment and nature. Volvo World is intended to be a new landmark in Gothenburg and Sweden, although it will be discreetly kept, but at least it will be immediately visible from the highway from Stockholm.

Typically Swedish: lots of wood, warm colors

The building has a total of 2,800 tons of wood, sourced from southern Europe and Sweden. The building is supported in total by 2,300 large timber beams and 2,700 cross-laminated timber (CLT) beams. The three huge wooden beams are each 34 meters tall! And about 12,000 square meters of natural was brought back down to the roof and embankment. There was once a Saab distribution factory here, some of whose lights were integrated into the new building, and a parking lot for the Liseberg amusement park. Energy can also be drawn through PV, but this has not yet been installed.

The CEO of World of Volvo, Magnus Wrahme, did not want to tell us exactly who financed the whole thing and how much it cost, so we are guessing that Geely Group, owner of the passenger car division and co-owner of Volvo. Trucks were not really involved in the new Volvo World. The 22,000 m² experience center includes a 4,500 m² exhibition area (vintage car) that takes visitors on a journey from the past to the present and into the future – with dynamic vehicles, authentic stories and many interactive experiences. Some of them are wild and the AI ​​base creates new art scenes every time by walking through the previous canvases. Or you become colored trash yourself in front of a screen that cares about recycling.

Lorry and his adventure zone

What is interesting is the large area especially for the trucks, which, together with the cut models of the cabins, also shows what would happen if all the wheels of the truck stopped for one, two, three, four or even five days – then it would be really big. The layout of the building is also interesting, as the inside looks bigger than the outside and the greenery and the kind of embankment at the top draws a direct view to the road that goes into the neighboring forest.

On the other hand, you look at the city center and you could see the explosion in the amusement park directly: During the welding work, the slide tower suddenly caught fire and burned down immediately…but next to it you can now run inside. the new world of Volvo. Officially it looks like a “joint mission between Volvo Cars and the Volvo Group” and unofficially they have been thinking about building something like this in the center of Gothenburg for years, especially since the old museum “was only accessible by GPS signal . “It was very hidden” – jokes Oscar Bertilsson, who is responsible for commercial activities at Volvo Cars. However, 100,000 visitors came every year, including those who took their Volvo cars or trucks. In the future, there will be more, especially since the parking garage with 1,500 parking spaces (of which 150, later 300 and charging points) and the covered bus station are connected. You can expand up to 450 charging stations before reaching the connection cable.

Many more different packages for customers who want to take their cars

And yes, you can also take cars and trucks there. In fact, trucking CEO Roger Alm explained to us with enthusiasm that customers, transport companies or freight forwarders can now be offered several packages to pick up trucks directly at their points of origin. You can arrange to take a truck to Volvo World or the factory, with food, driving events, a factory tour or without – the options are now more diverse than ever. And at Volvo World they also want to give something back to customers, employees and the city of Gothenburg.

A brand new approach: As a meeting place for culture and discussion

The chilly atmosphere of the 1960s is now giving way to “a meeting place that revolves around the human body and mind” and takes into account “how we are all connected”. Gothenburg wasn’t much smaller, and it’s still a great meeting place, because Volvo says its roots come from the human-centered principle that the founders once set: They wanted to “use technology to improve people’s lives.” The principle was also behind the Volvo World, which essentially wants to be a meeting place for people and their ideas to come together – to be inspired by the common development towards a safer and more sustainable tomorrow.

With large and powerful spaces, the Volvo World is also adaptable to accommodate various scenarios. Cultural events, discussions and conferences are also planned. Meeting and event facilities offer rooms that can accommodate up to 1,100 participants.

There are also two restaurants, Ceno Brasserie, which is open to the public, and Ceno On Top, which is open to conference guests and large groups. Architect Martin Stenberg Rigér jokingly explained:

“I don’t remember ever planning round kitchens before.”

It is important that they work, because Götaplatsgruppen has created a culinary concept that should reflect quality and sustainability – based on local and seasonal ingredients. Award-winning chef Stefan Karlsson is behind the menu. So that the physical well-being of brand fans is also taken care of.

What does that mean?

Volvo finally has its own “world”, which is very important for cars and trucks in Gothenburg. And most importantly: The Swedes have reached the level that fans and customers expect. So we would advise visitors to Gothenburg to plan Volvo World, just for the architecture.