Storgatan 5
in Malmö

The building was designed by architect Holger M. Lundquist and constructed from 1979 to 1981 by Skanska AB. The address is Storgatan 5, but the property is also bordered by Norra Långgatan and Östra Kanalgatan. When the building was new, the largest tenant was Sydgas. Televerket also rented space, though not enough to justify the planned walkway over Östra Kanalgatan.

The property is located in the Lugnet district, with addresses at Storgatan 5 and Östra Kanalgatan 6. Completed in 1981 by Skanska AB, it primarily consists of offices, totaling 5,084 sqm.

Tenants and owner

Shops and other businessesꜜ
Vacant premises: not updated
Owner: not updated

The Lugnet District

Lugnet was developed during Malmö's first major industrial boom, between 1860 and 1870. The area was almost entirely filled with single-story houses made from brick or simple claystone. Lugnet was purchased by Frans Henrik Kockum, who parceled the land into small lots—many workers from his factories also lived here.

In the early 1960s, it was decided that the entire Lugnet quarter would be demolished.

But why did everything get torn down, and what replaced it? The spirit of the times—and an uneasy alliance between various forces—contributed to this "destruction" or development. Read more about Lugnet's history↓

gables — Not all windows in this building open

Artworks: The property features several art pieces. In the foyer is Conversation with Landscape by Ulla Viotti, along with other painted facades by architect Holger M. Lundquist. More about the art↓

Lugnet

At Triangeln, roads from Trelleborg and Ystad to the south, from Limhamn to the west, and from Värnhem to the east all converged via Föreningsgatan into a hub that’s been lively through the ages. Here farmers from Söderslätt sold their goods, mingling with merchants and artisans from across the continent. Later, surplus farm laborers from Söderslätt and all of Malmöhus County, soon the foundation of Malmö's working class, also arrived—drawn from the countryside toward the growing city along these country roads.

For many, this was as far as they got. A basic job at Kockums mechanical workshop or another factory in the suburb, along with cheap housing from a Lugnet craftsman, was often the first taste of city life for 19th-century newcomers. Workers formed the majority population, but craftsmen increased over time. Workshops dotted nearly every courtyard.

Lugnet was built during Malmö's first great industrial upswing from 1860 to 1870, with mostly single-story homes of brick or claystone. Frans Henrik Kockum had bought the district, divided it into small lots, and housed many of his factory workers. Kockum launched a foundry and mechanical workshop near present-day Davidshallstorg in 1840, expanding rapidly, until the workshop moved to the harbor for the 1914 Baltic Exhibition.

Lugnet’s outer edges were built with taller apartment houses from the start, but in the center only single-story buildings stood. The block "Gamen" at Storgatan was split—half next to Kaptensgatan was five stories, while the rest consisted of a dozen single-story homes. These were all torn down in 1978 for new construction.

map — Lugnet before the demolitions of the 1960s and 1970s

Drottninggatan to the north, Södra Förstadsgatan to the west, Kaptensgatan to the east, and Föreningsgatan to the south. Many residents still remember the vanished street names: Gottfridsgatan, Lorentzgatan, Stålgatan, Långgatorna, and others.

map today — Northeast Lugnet today. Kaptensgatan separates Lugnet from Rörsjöstaden. Block "Gamen" is in the middle right.

Population

A large portion of Lugnet’s residents were manual laborers and maids—unskilled workers straight from the countryside, without ties to traditional crafts. Housing turnover was high.

Attics in the little houses were rented out to such workers, often several per room. These were draughty spaces with only roof tiles overhead—no ceilings, frozen water in the washbasin in winter. People slept dressed, and hygiene suffered. Dysentery and other intestinal diseases plagued Lugnet more than any other neighborhood.

In 1865, Malmö had about 22,000 residents, of whom 2,000 lived in Lugnet. From 1863 to 1882 Lugnet's population rose from 2,000 to more than 5,000.

Idyll?

Debate and regret have followed Lugnet’s demolition, both at the time and since. The street most often pictured after WWII is Gottfridsgatan. All its buildings were single-story, few cars passed, and children played in the street. The area has been painted as idyllic, but that’s not the whole story. The houses had seen their best days; progress bypassed them. There were still outdoor toilets, manual water pumps, and messy backyards.

What children remember later in life may well be mostly the idyllic aspects: the gardens, apple trees, cobblestones, flowers, lilacs, small-scale way of life, and milk shops. Their now-departed parents might recall it differently—carrying and heating water, doing laundry in cramped basements, hauling wood, stoking smoky stoves.

Demolition Mania

Hidden motives and agendas often drive public development. These years are sometimes called the decade of hegemony—Malmö was steered by an unholy alliance of bankers, builders, and city leaders, fixing things with a handshake. Not just Lugnet, but Caroli City and large swathes of east Malmö were razed in those decades in pursuit of progress. The HSB joined the push, and city officials wanted to keep up with the times.

The decision to remove all of Lugnet was made early in the 1960s. The area was rightly considered rundown, outdated, even unfit as housing. Combined with then-prevailing rent regulation—which kept rents low in old houses—this meant demolition and new development were favored over renovation.

The main problem is not always what is torn down, but what replaces it. The focus was on large-scale construction, old street networks vanished, and huge prefab-concrete blocks took their place. But there are pockets of small-scale buildings left. On the west side of Södra Förstadsgatan, building types survive from the early 1800s onwards—expanded, rebuilt, and new in a blessed mix. That too is an organic way for a city neighborhood to grow.