GoCo Active Lab transforms a site in Mölndal adjacent to AstraZeneca into a next-generation innovation district.
The mass-timber building is organized into two distinct stacked volumes that share a common architectural language: a lower “Active Zone” for training and an upper volume for offices and laboratories. The Active Zone, which includes a gym, group training studios, testing areas and a pool facility, is conceived as an interior garden that invites the community in—whether to visit the café or simply gather.
The upper volume floats above and is oriented to optimize natural light and views for the office and laboratory spaces. The two volumes are connected by a stair that acts as a vertical street linking the lower garden level up through the building.
The Active Zone's exterior features vertical wood slats that evoke the texture of the adjacent forest, while exposed mass timber inside provides natural warmth and celebrates the sustainability of the structure.
The office volume is clad in deep gray slate, drawing inspiration from the dramatic sheer rock formations characteristic of the Gothenburg region.
The building is designed to function as the heart of GoCo Health Innovation City. By bringing research, athletic training and recovery together under one roof, the Active Lab creates a hub that the whole community can claim as its own.
- client Next Step / GoCo Health Innovation City
- phase completed August 2026
- size 130,000 sf / 12,000 sm
