Classic movies inspired the new Parkside mobility hub in Malmö

What does the movie hero Rocky have to do with a mobility building in Malmö? Architect Haydar Alward at FOJAB explains the design idea behind Parkside, which is now being opened.

In the first Rocky movie, actor Sylvester Stallone runs up the 72 steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The boxer's final sprint on the morning run. An underdog who rises to become a winner.

Now, the staircase from the famous movie scene has a counterpart in the Malmö district of Hyllie, in the newly built Parkside mobility building. A long staircase runs along one facade.

- It has been a dream since my teenage years to be able to finish the run like Rocky. Now Malmö residents can run up the stairs and feel like a winner," says Haydar Alward, architect in charge at FOJAB.

Parkside is located next to the large Hyllievångsparken park and the staircase will be an extension of the green area's walking and running trails. It leads all the way up to an outdoor gym on the roof with miles of views of the Öresund Bridge, among other things.

- "The exercise equipment is chosen so that as many people as possible will want to use it, regardless of age, gender and experience," says Haydar. The gym will be open from early to late and is free for everyone to use.

The mobility center is intended to be a hub for residents, visitors and workers in the area. To increase public life, enjoyment and safety, there is a shop on the ground floor.

And there are more sustainability ambitions for Parkside beyond the social ones. The mobility center will be a climate-smart node for sustainable mobility. Half of the more than 430 parking spaces have been prepared for electric car charging. The energy is produced locally from solar panels on the facades and roof. The solar cells are connected to a building battery that contributes to the electricity supply in the block and cuts the power peaks in the electricity grid.

The client Parkering Malmö, the contractor Byggfirman Otto Magnusson and the architect FOJAB are all members of LFM30, Malmö's local industry network for a climate-neutral construction sector. The common ambition was for Parkside to fall below LFM30's limits for a climate-neutral parking facility. This was achieved by using climate-improved concrete, wood and recycled steel.

- The limit value is 170 kg CO2e/sqm GFA. We ended up at 158," says Haydar Alward.