Waugh Thistleton Architects

Arstafaltet is a vast park within the municipality of Stockholm identified as a site into which the city can expand. The masterplan for the area accommodates 4000 new homes creating a community to house an estimated 10,000 inhabitants by 2035. We were invited by Folkhem, a Swedish developer who are committed to building 100% CLT, to propose a design for the south-east corner of the wider masterplan.

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The flat site with a north-south orientation is one of the primary gateways to the masterplan. There is an estate of tower blocks to the north and a large park to the south that is set to be developed with seven storey residential buildings. The client’s objective for this visible site was to achieve a lively, community feel with one overarching constraint to the design: the highest buildings should be on the south of the site facing one of the primary routes through the masterplan.

Design

Responding to the context our design has an animated main street to the south with shops, cafés and community facilities interspaced with planting and seating to provide opportunities for chance meetings and social interaction. Facing away from this, three residential blocks slope north towards a row of townhouses, creating a shared pedestrian street between buildings. A quiet and safe environment for children, older people and families.

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Facing away from this, three residential blocks slope north towards a row of townhouses, creating a shared pedestrian street between buildings. A quiet and safe environment for children, older people and families.

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The main street and shared street have different character but are unified by a shared palatte of materials which is applied throughout the scheme. At ground level there is a textured concrete plinth with black timber cladding. Above the timber fades to grey with varying widths differentiating the upper residential floors. A limited number of window types are used throughout with handcrafted metalwork on all  projecting balconies and balustrades.

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Elevations on the main, transition and domestic streets

Result

The angle of the buildings allows sunlight to filter into the shared spaces and reduces overshadowing. The sloping green roofs and street planted with a wild flower garden, allotment beds and a variety of trees create a valley which changes with the seasons, allowing the building to evolve with its environment.