GRAD Arkitekter shared with us their proposal for a housing block in the now unbuilt area of Årstafältet, a southern suburb of Stockholm. Once finished, this area will house approximately 10,000 inhabitants. To secure this variation, the city proposes that each block is divided in two halves, with a team of a contractor and an architecture team responsible for every half. The basic design principle of their block is to shift and tilt four buildings in relation to one another, to create interesting views and a good flow of natural light. More images and architects' description after the break.
The two first steps of this process are called Valla 1 and Valla 2, where about 430 apartments with commerce facilities and services are planned to be built. Variation, both in scale and expression, is the key concept of the urban planners at the city of Stockholm when promoting this new residential area.
In between these four high points of the proposed block, lower buildings are used like joints, and provide a varied rhythm of the facade towards the public space. The idea is generous to the surroundings and does not shadow neighboring blocks from good views and daylight. Narrow, vertical interstices between the buildings of our block, reveal glimpses of the private courtyard from the public space. Offsets and angles on the facade form different layers and gives the block a rich, playful and exciting geometry.
Our half block is composed by three volumes. The lowest part of the block houses a two story kindergarten. A seven story residential building defines a triangle public square together with the surrounding blocks. The highest building of our block is a fourteen floor residential building that overlooks the park. The façade material is render with a diversity of textures: smooth, rough, with relief... A patchwork of colors is shifting from green to yellow and from red orange to pink. Each volume has not one single dominant color but several colored faces in different shades. In this way the block has a changing personality based on an organic geometry.
Variation, diversity and hybridity are qualities that give richness to the built environment and will be only more beautiful when aging.
Architects: GRAD Arkitekter
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Project Team: Sébastien Corbari, Meryem Gülenay, Ann-Sofi Ottosson, Oskar Grundström
Landscape: LOLA arkitektur och landskap
Client: Järntorget Bostad, Sweden
Project Area: 7000 sqm
Project Year: 2012
