Gränbystaden

Gränbystaden in Uppsala is a large shopping centre hosting over 160 stores and attracting approximately 10,000 daily visitors. The vision was to create a space where people want to meet, eat, and experience various activities – all under one roof.

To ensure the property doesn’t feel dark, architects at Atrium Ljungberg designed a “light street” through the shopping centre, allowing daylight to flow in through a specially developed bubble roof. This provided a fantastic outdoor feel for the visitors but also posed a significant challenge in the structure’s energy calculation.

One of the major challenges for architects, engineers, and property owners is how to manage a building’s heat radiation for a controlled indoor climate. With a transparent roof designed to let in a lot of daylight, there was a risk that the shopping centre would become as hot as a greenhouse during the summer months. To balance the calculation for the entire solar heat load, they had to find a way to block it somewhere else.

Fasadglas AB, the contractor in charge of installing the large glass facade, then turned to ChromoGenics for help – where ConverLight was the solution. This modification led to a notable reduction in the building’s overall heat radiation, particularly in the extensive glass sections facing south, including the grand entrance spanning four floors. Following the successful installation, the indoor temperature became comfortably regulated, leading to a subsequent reduction in energy costs for the entire building. This not only created an inviting indoor environment for eager shoppers but also established the centre as an attractive business location for store owners.