Skanska
Encyclopedia
Skanska AB, is a multinational
construction
and development company based in Sweden
, where it also is the largest construction company. The company's head office is in Solna
, north of Stockholm
.
, Sweden
, in 1887 and started by manufacturing concrete products. It quickly diversified into a construction company and within 10 years the company received its first international order. The company played an important role in building up Sweden’s infrastructure including roads, power plants, offices and housing.
Growth in Sweden
was followed by international expansion. In the mid 1950s Skånska Cementgjuteriet made a major move into international markets. During the next decades it entered South America
, Africa
and Asia
, and in 1971 the United States
market, where it today ranks among the largest in its sector. The company was listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange
A-list in 1965. In 1984 the name “Skanska”, already in general use internationally, became the Group’s official name.
During the latter part of the 1990s, Skanska expanded substantially both organically and by acquisition.
In mid 2004, Skanska decided to divest its Asia
n investments and sold its India
n subsidiary to the Thailand
based construction firm Italian Thai Development Company.
In 2005, Skanska was the subject of an official investigation by Argentinian tax enforcement office (AFIP) in which employees working on a gas pipelines project in Buenos Aires
admitted to having paid bribes to government officials.
region, the U.S., United Kingdom
, Central Europe
and Latin America
. The Group’s operations are based on local business units. Generally, the firm has several thousand continuing projects.
Skanska was the No. 1 "Green Builder" in the United States
in 2007 and was ranked No. 3 "Green Contractor" in the United States
2008.
Skanska was ranked the 10th largest contractor in the world in 2008 and was the 6th largest contractor in the United States
.
Major projects in the United Kingdom
have included 30 St Mary Axe
in London
completed in 2004. In Malta
Skanska built the Mater Dei Hospital
which opened in 2007.
In 2010, Skanska finished constructing the 230m Heron Tower
, the tallest building in the City of London
.
Major projects in the United States
include the New Meadowlands Stadium
(MetLife Stadium, home to the Giants
and the Jets
NFL franchises), completed in 2010. Skanska is also the construction manager for Madison Square Garden
's renovation project, due to be completed in 2012. Skanska has also won the Alaskan Way Viaduct project in Washington: the project worth SEK840 million ($115 million) involves the construction of a new 1.3 kilometer viaduct on the southern section of the Alaskan Way on the State Route 99 bypass in downtown Seattle and will be completed in 2013.
Another continuing major project is the renovation and addition to the United Nations
building, due to be completed in 2014.
Other continuing major projects include the restoration of the World Trade Center
ground zero site including the removal of debris, the reconstruction of the PATH
and New York City Subway
and the creation of a World Trade Center Transportation Hub
, due to be completed in 2014. Skanska is also a member of consortium responsible for the Second Avenue Subway
tunneling project, due to be completed in 2016.
Multinational corporation
A multi national corporation or enterprise , is a corporation or an enterprise that manages production or delivers services in more than one country. It can also be referred to as an international corporation...
construction
Construction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
and development company based in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, where it also is the largest construction company. The company's head office is in Solna
Solna Municipality
Solna Municipality is a municipality in Stockholm County in east central Sweden, located just north of the capital Stockholm. Its seat is located in the 'city' of Solna....
, north of Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
.
History
Aktiebolaget Skånska Cementgjuteriet was established in MalmöMalmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, in 1887 and started by manufacturing concrete products. It quickly diversified into a construction company and within 10 years the company received its first international order. The company played an important role in building up Sweden’s infrastructure including roads, power plants, offices and housing.
Growth in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
was followed by international expansion. In the mid 1950s Skånska Cementgjuteriet made a major move into international markets. During the next decades it entered South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, and in 1971 the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
market, where it today ranks among the largest in its sector. The company was listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange
Stockholm Stock Exchange
The Stockholm Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in Stockholm, Sweden. Founded in 1863 it is the primary securities exchange of the Nordic Countries....
A-list in 1965. In 1984 the name “Skanska”, already in general use internationally, became the Group’s official name.
During the latter part of the 1990s, Skanska expanded substantially both organically and by acquisition.
In mid 2004, Skanska decided to divest its Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n investments and sold its India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n subsidiary to the Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
based construction firm Italian Thai Development Company.
In 2005, Skanska was the subject of an official investigation by Argentinian tax enforcement office (AFIP) in which employees working on a gas pipelines project in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
admitted to having paid bribes to government officials.
Current activities
Skanska operates in four business streams; construction, residential development, commercial development and infrastructure development. Primary markets are the NordicNordic countries
The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...
region, the U.S., United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Central Europe
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
and Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
. The Group’s operations are based on local business units. Generally, the firm has several thousand continuing projects.
Skanska was the No. 1 "Green Builder" in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 2007 and was ranked No. 3 "Green Contractor" in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
2008.
Skanska was ranked the 10th largest contractor in the world in 2008 and was the 6th largest contractor in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Major projects
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
have included 30 St Mary Axe
30 St Mary Axe
30 St Mary Axe, the Swiss Re Building , is a skyscraper in London's main financial district, the City of London, completed in December 2003 and opened at the end of May 2004...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
completed in 2004. In Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
Skanska built the Mater Dei Hospital
Mater Dei Hospital
Mater Dei Hospital is a state of the art public hospital in Msida, Malta. It opened its doors to the public for the first time on 29 June 2007. The 250,000 sqm complex includes 825 beds and 25 operating theaters. It was designed and built by the Swedish construction firm Skanska Malta JV...
which opened in 2007.
In 2010, Skanska finished constructing the 230m Heron Tower
Heron Tower
Heron Tower, also referred to as 110 Bishopsgate, is a skyscraper owned by Heron International in the City of London. It was completed in 2011...
, the tallest building in the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
.
Major projects in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
include the New Meadowlands Stadium
New Meadowlands Stadium
MetLife Stadium is a stadium in the New York City Metropolitan Area, part of the MetLife Sports Complex, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It is the home of the New York Giants and New York Jets of the National Football League and is adjacent to the site of the former Giants Stadium, which was home...
(MetLife Stadium, home to the Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and the Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
NFL franchises), completed in 2010. Skanska is also the construction manager for Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
's renovation project, due to be completed in 2012. Skanska has also won the Alaskan Way Viaduct project in Washington: the project worth SEK840 million ($115 million) involves the construction of a new 1.3 kilometer viaduct on the southern section of the Alaskan Way on the State Route 99 bypass in downtown Seattle and will be completed in 2013.
Another continuing major project is the renovation and addition to the United Nations
United Nations headquarters
The headquarters of the United Nations is a complex in New York City. The complex has served as the official headquarters of the United Nations since its completion in 1952. It is located in the Turtle Bay neighborhood of Manhattan, on spacious grounds overlooking the East River...
building, due to be completed in 2014.
Other continuing major projects include the restoration of the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
ground zero site including the removal of debris, the reconstruction of the PATH
Port Authority Trans-Hudson
PATH, derived from Port Authority Trans-Hudson, is a rapid transit railroad linking Manhattan, New York City with Newark, Harrison, Hoboken and Jersey City in metropolitan northern New Jersey...
and New York City Subway
New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
and the creation of a World Trade Center Transportation Hub
World Trade Center (PATH station)
The World Trade Center PATH station originally opened on July 19, 1909 as the Hudson Terminal. When the Hudson Terminal was torn down to make way for the World Trade Center, a new station was built, which opened in 1971...
, due to be completed in 2014. Skanska is also a member of consortium responsible for the Second Avenue Subway
Second Avenue Subway
The Second Avenue Subway is a planned rapid transit subway line, part of the New York City Subway system. Phase I, consisting of two miles of tunnel and three stations, is currently under construction underneath Second Avenue in the borough of Manhattan.A plan for more than 75 years, the Second...
tunneling project, due to be completed in 2016.
See also
- Road to the Greenland Ice Sheet