Iconic hotel and green square get Lund’s City Building Award for 2019

Joint winners are the creators of Grand Hotel's verandas and the redevelopers of subway square Bantorget

Lund's City Building Award for 2019 goes to one of Lund's finest meeting places – an ensemble of a green square and an iconic hotel, the Swedish municipality announced. The creators of Grand Hotel's new verandas and the Bantorget's redevelopment are praised together for a place characterized by beautiful architecture, bustling local life, rippling water and piano music, decided the jury.

Grand Hotel's extension with new verandas was ready for summer 2017 and has since contributed to a sense of life and movement, enriching the space in front of the hotel. Mats Molén of Fojab architectural studio has designed the new porches in glass, copper plate and granite plinth.

Green oasis in Lund

Rather a small park than a traditional square, Bantorget was reopened in December 2018 after renovation which gave it new eye-catching fountain, new lighting, new paving stones, seating and vegetation, among other things. The square has become a green oasis in the district of Lund that links the station area with the rest of the city center. 

“Here we have a place in the city that is more than its buildings, which has provided an outstanding meeting place. The collaboration between the municipality, architect and a private property owner has greatly contributed to a well thought out whole with detail and a great respect for cultural historical values,” said Hans Juhlin, chairman of the jury and Lund's city building director, quoted by the municipality website.

He highlighted the importance of how the involved parties joined forces to find a common design that gave great added value to the city of Lund.