State-of-the-art Big Science project

State-of-the-art Big Science project in Lund, Sweden, using temporary offices from Cramo Adapteo

The European Spallation Source (ESS) is a pan-European project with 15 European member and observer nations, including Sweden and Denmark as host nations. The vision is to build and operate the world’s most powerful neutron source, enabling scientific breakthroughs in research related to materials, energy, health and the environment.

A project undergoing constant change and growth

In October 2014, the first modular space buildings from Adapteo were ready to be used by the construction related teams at the research facility’s construction site, located in Northeastern Lund. More units were then added, and in 2015 a framework agreement was signed. As of January 2018, about 200 modules have been delivered, mainly office space in two storeys with an open-plan layout. This year, 270 more modules in three storeys will be added, providing sufficient space for the ESS staff until the campus buildings are ready.

Collaboration is supported by functional office space

ESS wants to create an excellent space for collaboration, communication and interaction where all the divisions can work together. The fact that the ESS organisation consists of a number of sub-projects, some of them large, is an additional challenge. In planning the offices and workplaces, a number of aspects need to be taken into consideration – for example, staff from 50 countries with different backgrounds and expectations. The ESS staff ranges from scientists to engineers to administrators and represent very different needs and ways of working. Before the summer, the entire ESS staff – some 550 people in all – will move from Medicon Village in Lund into these temporary offices.

Long-term perspective

“The plan is that, by 2020, more than 500 Adapteo modules, providing 13,500 m2 of space, will be in use,” says Cramo Adapteo sales representative/project developer Zeljko Orlandic. “It has been a long and dynamic project full of challenges, but it has also been very rewarding to see the growth and commitment of the staff at ESS.”

Aerial photo: Roger Eriksson, ESS
Other photos: Mats Jarmer