Bagartorps School
Bagartorpsskolan in Solna is a secondary school with 360 students. FOJAB has been tasked with transforming the schoolyard from an empty asphalt area with nothing to do, to an inclusive schoolyard with something to do for everyone, in a process involving students from the school and in close collaboration with Hemsö. It now features greenery, a welcoming outdoor living room, an activity trail, a wave-shaped bench, playfully designed ball courts, ping-pong tables and cozy seating around trees.
The Raoul Wallenberg School, which runs the school, has a special focus on health, movement and democracy and it was therefore natural to use FOJAB's Equalizer method - a method to drive inclusive processes in collaboration with users and to design environments that attract more people to move.
The project started with a dialogue with students from the student council where we analyzed the schoolyard together. Together we practiced looking at it from different perspectives to understand how the design of the schoolyard can help support different people in different situations. What is important if you are alone, if you don't feel like going out, if all your friends want to do different things and so on? With this as a starting point, the students built models that were transformed into sketches by us architects in several steps.
The schoolyard is made up of different rooms. An activity area that is playful but not childish and that works both when you are alone and with others. A living room with a cozy indoor feel that helps to take the first step outside. An arena with ball games designed to encourage alternative ways of playing and where you can step in gradually. A gathering place that provides a welcoming centerpiece where you can choose to overlook, be seen or be left alone. A garden area that is a place to retreat to for peace and quiet. And the entrance where you should feel welcome and seen when you arrive at school in the morning.
Theater Park
Teaterparken is a centrally located park in Landskrona with historical roots from the time when the site was part of the defense facility around the castle. FOJAB's mission was to take a holistic approach to the park - to modernize it and make it more attractive.
The park has been partially refurbished over the years. There is a popular playground and, in connection with the city's 500th anniversary, a stage was built directly south of the theater building. Despite this, the park has been relatively little used. The site is also a low point in the city and has therefore been flooded during torrential rain.
FOJAB carried out everything from early sketches and conceptual work to the final system documentation. The park has been given a clearer structure with newly directed footpaths and more generous landscaping. Consideration has been given to the park's status as an ancient monument, but also to the requirement for more varied plantings to promote pollination. The park has been divided into five different parts with different characters: Bouleplatsen vid teatern, Gröningen, Horticultural Corner, Djungeln and Den Sekundära Entrén.
Bouleplatsen and Gröningen belong to the open part of the park. Free gravel surfaces around the Theater building allow for life and movement in all directions. The outdoor restaurant can use them for guests playing boules, but other activities can also take place. Classic steps lead down to the large green area. Fine seating facing south is created in the extended steps.
Gröningen also prioritizes freedom and space. The site can be used for a public event or other event. Another important function is stormwater management. The site is deep and has the capacity to retain water in a more refined way in case of heavy rainfall.
South of Gröningen is the Horticultural Corner. Here, fine plantings are created around the existing fountain in the classic manner. The site becomes a magnet that attracts people to the park in its southwest corner. In the Jungle, trees and a rich ground cover will be planted to increase biodiversity. Wooden walkways save the varied ground cover from being trampled.
The Secondary Entrance is an upgraded entrance to the park, which will be used more in the future when a new neighborhood develops just north of the park.
Honorable mention for the design of the Theater Park
Kolkajen, Stockholm Royal Seaport
As one of three architectural firms in parallel assignments in 2014, FOJAB produced an urban development proposal for Kolkajen - Hjorthagen's waterfront in Stockholm Royal Seaport. The procurement also included a framework agreement for the design of public environments in Stockholm Royal Seaport and work on formal detailed plans.
Norra Djurgårdsstaden is one of the largest urban development areas in Stockholm and northern Europe. The area will, in a sustainable and resource-efficient way, accommodate about 35,000 workplaces and about 12,000 new homes with associated services and infrastructure. The current phase, Kolkajen - Ropsten, is located between Hjorthagsberget and Lilla Värtan, next to the bridge to Lidingö. To the southwest is the Ropsten metro station.
The area is currently industrial land. The area contains the culturally and historically valuable Vattengasverket and a heat pump plant for energy production that will be preserved.
The parallel assignments investigated how Hjorthagen's future entrance and waterfront can be designed with a focus on public urban spaces and parks. The starting point was both overall objectives regarding transport, energy, cycles, buildings, greenery, lifestyles and activities, as well as the specific character and conditions of the site. The goal is a dense and mixed neighborhood with a strong identity and high urban design qualities. Not everyone will be able to afford to live here, but everyone will be able to spend time here and enjoy the social life and proximity to the water.
The work began with the parallel assignment and FOJAB was also awarded a framework agreement with the Development Office of the City of Stockholm for the work on Norra Djurgårdstaden. The work included producing a detailed plan, design program, and program and system documentation for street and play environments in the area. The street spaces are important links in the new district and will be designed with a focus on stormwater, greenery and quality of life. On the waterfront, we design a large playground with a natural character where lush trees and undulating wooden structures create a stimulating play environment.
Arenatorget and Endgame Park
FOJAB has designed and produced a design manual for Arenatorget and Slutspelsparken, in connection with the new Klostergården IP in Lund. The work has also included planning for the park, square and entrance areas.
The vision has been a youthful place with activity-based design and exciting, yet robust surfaces. Distinctive green hills extend the embankment that surrounds the sports field and create a dramatic spatiality by undulating up and down the extension of the embankment. The green hills control movement and views, stimulating activity and play while providing privacy and tranquillity.
Equipment and materials are inspired by the various activities taking place in the area. These include a hill shaped like a football and large hockey pucks as seating elements, as well as handball goals, swings and bike racks. The lighting is inspired by the stadium's floodlights and the ground surfaces by patterns and lines in different shapes. The common denominator is the black and white graphics with elements of red in the equipment details. Together, these elements create a dynamic whole - a sports facility that is accessible to all.
Klagshamn Riding School
Klagshamn's cape is located about 10 km south of Malmö and protrudes a good distance into the Öresund. It forms in the south shallow sandy beaches excellent for riding. For a long time Klagshamns Ryttarsällskap was housed here in a disused concrete factory. When the City of Malmö planned for a new riding facility, it was natural to build on the same site as the concrete factory, with its proximity to sandy beaches and riding paths along the sea. The municipality also chose to turn the demolished concrete factory into a ruin park.
The location of the buildings is parallel to the ruins of the concrete factory. The two main buildings, the stables and the riding hall have distinctive cohesive roof surfaces that bridge different functions in the facility. The buildings are staggered so that different site formations arise in interaction with the ruins, entrance courtyard plan, operating courtyard plan, riding arena plan, etc. The location of the buildings also provides fine views of the nearby Öresund. There are gardens east of the ruin park.
The buildings have the character of open shell buildings with clearly defined spaces (house in house) depending on temperature and functional requirements. The use of horses means that movement in and out of the buildings feels natural and without a sharp boundary between outside and inside.
Roof and wall materials are simple and directly linked to function and building physics. Concrete elements closest to the ground in the base and wall that can withstand stresses from machines/horses/snow/rain/wind etc. Walls and roofs are glulam structures in the form of columns and beams that clearly reflect the load-bearing structure of the buildings. Perforated sheet metal in the facade provides several interacting effects - natural ventilation, daylight, views - insights, sound absorption. It is also cost-effective. Above all, perforated sheeting ensures moisture balance through natural air exchange. Robust building materials such as concrete, glulam, brick can withstand the forces of the harsh environment in which the houses are located and will wear/age naturally and beautifully.
The site was previously occupied by brick buildings whose bricks are recycled in parts of the stables and riding hall. The ground/floor covering consists not only of gravel pitches, but also of wooden cubes, concrete and concrete slabs that are both outside and inside, which further reinforces the dissolved meeting between outdoors and indoors.
Nomination:
Region Skåne Architecture Prize 2018
Sveavägen 44
More than 3,000 square meters of mountain nature in the heart of Stockholm. FOJAB created a wild nature park at Sveavägen 44 in Stockholm, which was later complemented by a rooftop pavilion.
Since the roofscape opened, crowds of people have been wandering the walkways and piers, mingling and hanging out at the bar. On summer evenings the queues are long, during the day and throughout the year the 3000 people working in the office building can take their sandwiches upstairs and enjoy the view.
The existing outdoor terrace has been supplemented with a pavilion building in wood and glass that can accommodate about 60 seated guests. The roof pavilion is an integral part of the facility with a wooden frame, sliding glass panels in solid wood and a light, floating roof. The pavilion stands in the landscape surrounded by the piers so that the floor continues in, with a projecting pergola reinforcing the lightness. With its 150 square meters, it can accommodate a really good mingle or 50-60 seated guests plus a bar and preparation kitchen. Several new toilets were also built, accessible to everyone on the terrace.
The initial idea was for the roof to be public and generous. An unusual idea in itself, turning a private property into a public space for part of the day.
Nomination:
Siena Prize 2015
Triangles
From a large parking lot and a desolate backside to a public transport hub with vibrant city life in a cultural-historical environment. FOJAB has built a brand new city block in central Malmö with 190 apartments, 200 workplaces and commercial activities on the ground floors.
At street level is a two-storey shopping mall, linked to the existing shopping center. A further five floors facing the surrounding streets are residential and office buildings. From this building rises a 19-storey residential building. In the interior of the block there are further residential units and green gardens at different levels, while the car parks are two levels below ground.
In Triangelgallerian, FOJAB created a square to enhance the environment for the many commuters who move in traffic, but also to provide a harmonious place for relaxation in a small-scale, dense and intense environment. To create variety and enhance the urban feel, the shops are accessed through three portals in winding aisles at street level. The square, which is located in the center and opens up through both floors, is formed by playfully placed shop boxes.
The office is located on four levels on top of the mall, two to five steps up. The main entrance is located on Rådmansgatan. Outdoor spaces in the form of roof terraces are available both in connection with the lowest floor of the office and at the top of the recessed penthouse. Secure bicycle parking is available in a raised courtyard between the new and old Triangeln. The office's tenants have a nice view of S:t Johannesplan and also visual contact with the lush inner courtyard.
At the top, both street and high-rise buildings are crowned with sections of golden brass plate. The courtyard environments are built on the roof of the mall, on three different levels with a wide range of spaces and experiences. The character and composition of the plant material provides greenery and beauty throughout much of the year and highlights the changing seasons. There are sheltered places in the shade of the pergola's creepers, offering seating via integrated benches and special play areas for children. There are also spacious grassy areas and several wooden decks to accommodate larger groups.
Lund Nation National Archives
As general consultant, FOJAB has been responsible for the construction of new student housing in the Arkivet neighborhood in Lund. The project involved a careful rebuilding of the cultural-historical environment while adding another new building to the old ones.
FOJAB was responsible for the entire assignment as a general consultant and overall advisor, with the scope ranging from working on the amendment of the existing local plan to design, construction management and handover of the completed building.
The design work required considerable expertise in both historical and modern construction techniques. The oldest buildings date from 1903, with an extension in 1971, which has been converted into student accommodation. In order to cope with the heavy wear and tear from students, the choice of robust materials and low-maintenance solutions is also very important.
FOJAB also designed the outdoor areas around the student accommodation, in harmony with the existing environment. The areas facing the surrounding streets have been preserved as far as possible, while the inner orchard has been redesigned, inspired by its previous appearance.
The principle for the archive's garden has been to change as little as possible towards Dalbyvägen and Arkivgatan. Existing trees and cast iron fences have been preserved and supplemented with clipped beech hedges where there was a need to hide bicycle parking. At the same time, as much as possible of the character of the courtyard and its lush orchard has been preserved.
The courtyard plays an important role in bringing together student activities in the four buildings. The former patio in the north-west corner has been preserved and a new raised terrace has been created in the south, connecting to the two-storey community room in building D. A winding path has been created across the courtyard, allowing movement in the green space.
Nomination:
Region Skåne Architecture Prize 2015
