Season’s Greetings and best wishes for the New Year

Sometimes, a single step can feel overwhelming and difficult. This year, we’ve made huge strides and are feeling grateful and inspired by how far we have come.

We have worked together, brainstormed, workshopped, planned, designed, and improved projects every step of the way. We have had the privilege of contributing to and strengthening neighbourhoods, with new connections and healthier places, preserving and transforming what already exists.

We have had the pleasure to see people move into homes we designed, to engage in dialogue with future residents and users, and to focus on generous environments and buildings that contribute to a sustainable transition.

A huge thank you to everyone who has played a vital role in this journey. Your dedication and tireless efforts in realising our shared ideas and visions have been invaluable, especially in a year that has presented numerous challenges for the industry.

KS about a garden city renaissance in the magazine Arkitektur

Kjellander Sjöberg’s work with the regenerative masterplan Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community for Latimer by Clarion Housing Group in the UK is featured in the latest issue of Arkitektur – the largest architectural magazine in the Nordics which has been analysing, evaluating and documenting Swedish architecture and urban design since 1901.

In the comprehensive article ‘Big plans for small-scale cities’, Ylva Frid explores how garden cities of today can be designed, through four interviews with architects about the ideas for their current projects.

In his account, Stefan Sjöberg discusses experiences from contributing to a sustainable ‘garden community renaissance’ and the British dreams of owning a home.

‘We are working with an historic agricultural landscape. The degree of sustainability of the project hinges on the infrastructure. The main street is being planned and designed for trams. Nobody should have to walk for more than five minutes to reach a stop, and it should be easy to cycle everywhere. Distinct local centres with a main street also provide the right conditions for vibrant life with shops and pubs. What sets it apart from the post-war New Towns Movement is the green approach. We are not paving over as much land, we are preserving existing ecosystems and habitats, and we are paying much closer attention to water management. A garden city can be integrated more seamlessly into the English cultural landscape and more locally rooted in terms of materials and design.’

Magazine Arkitektur, Nr 6 2024 – Trädgårdsstad-ism, p. 24-28

TCBGC is a collaboration with Haworth Tompkins alongside Periscope, Grounded, Arup, and Exploration Architecture.

Nacka Strand has Sweden’s most satisfied homeowners

Kjellander Sjöberg’s residential scheme Nacka Strand, developed in close collaboration with the client Besqab, has earned the award for Sweden’s most satisfied homeowners in an independent survey.

We are delighted to have been entrusted to help bring this important project to life in a dynamic area; formerly industrial and predominantly occupied by office buildings, currently being regenerated into a vibrant mixed-use neighbourhood, with waterside homes and amenities.

At the NKI seminar held in February 2024, it was revealed that the home developer Besqab has the most satisfied customers for the third year running, and that Nacka Strand achieved the highest customer satisfaction in 2023, and thus earning the title ‘Sweden’s Best Project’.

Kjellander Sjöberg was involved throughout the entire process. The collaboration with Besqab began in 2015, and construction started in 2020. The entire scheme delivered 200 new homes.

Shop Talk 12: Roles in sustainable urban development

Transition and systemic change – what does it mean for the industry?

The urban development sector is undergoing a transformation and is on the verge of a systemic shift. A likely scenario is that the amount of new construction will decrease dramatically, with a renewed focus on the existing built environment, on the transformation and maintenance of what already exists, ranging from neighbourhoods to urban blocks, buildings, and interior adaptations. At the same time, we must meet societal needs for versatile spaces – for community, care, education, work, production, leisure, health, services, and homes.

What does this transition mean for us? How will our professional roles as urban planners, architects, engineers, developers, contractors, and administrators change? How will it affect work processes, skills, continuing education, and business models? What new roles are needed?

This Shop Talk is part of an ongoing discussion series about the transition towards a circular and sustainable society.

Guests:
Patrik Lundberg, Skanska Fastigheter
Jesper Wallgren, Finch
Carin Daal, Stena Fastigheter
Sofia Lagerblad, Stena Fastigheter
Andreas Eggertsen, Malmö City Council
Kristoffer Nilsson, Malmö City Council
Johan Holmqvist, IVL Swedish Environmental Institute
Erik Larssen, Stadsverkstad

Time and place:
5 December 2024, 8:00 – 9:00
Engelbrektsgatan 7
211 33 Malmö

Major step forward for Pampas urban development

Västra skogen metro station in Stockholm is set to get a new entrance towards Pampas Marina, where Kjellander Sjöberg, with the clients HSB and Besqab, is developing a vision for an urban waterfront district with 900 new homes.

The Region Stockholm’s Transport Committee has approved the project, which has been in preparation for the past few years. All agreements between the City Council of Solna and the involved developers are in place.

The design of the new neighbourhood is informed by its unique location, the natural setting where the Lake Mälaren meets the city. The masterplan is tailored to the surrounding topography, with the current access to the Västra skogen station lying on top of a hill. The new entrance will create a link to Pampas via a pedestrian tunnel, making it accessible to the growing population and connecting the area to the rest of the Solna district.

‘This type of underground project is unparalleled in recent times,’ writes the Transport Committee.

Symposium: When work creates a city!

Kjellander Sjöberg has been invited to take part in a symposium on transformation of industrial areas, taking place at the end of the 25th anniversary of the Industrial Heritage Trail from November 6th to 8th, 2024 in the former salt warehouse of the Hansa coking plant in Dortmund, Ruhr Region of Germany.

KS Malmö Director Johan Pitura will give a keynote on reimagining of industrial heritage, presenting transformation of Gjuteriet for Varvsstaden, and join a panel discussion with invited international experts from Germany, Netherlands and Italy.

The symposium is a cooperation event between the Regional Association Ruhr (RVR), Baukultur NRW, the Foundation for the Preservation of Industrial Monuments and Historical Culture and the European Route of Industrial Heritage (ERIH). It is supported by the Ministry of Regional Identity, Local Government, Building and Digitalization of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Time and place:
6th – 8th November 2024
Hansa coking plant
Emscherallee 11
44369 Dortmund (Germany)

Architecture Matters Pittsburgh & New York

Kjellander Sjöberg joining a delegation trip to the USA from October 7-11, offering public workshops and panel discussions with leading experts from Sweden and the USA to explore how architecture and urban design can enhance experiences, promote well-being, and contribute to the green transition. The discussions will also delve into the potential of sustainable timber construction and showcase successful built examples from Sweden.

The trip, titled “Architecture Matters,” is organized by the STHLMNYC platforming collaboration with the Swedish Institute, Architects Sweden, in conjunction with the Architecture Week in Pittsburgh and Archtober, New York City’s annual architecture and design festival.

In Pittsburgh, the focus will be on “challenges beyond design,” exploring how architecture can drive meaningful change. In New York, the discussions will center around how architecture can help push boundaries and drive innovation forward. There will also be a focus on wood as a renewable material and explore its potential as a design asset.

KS involved in a national research project on early-stage LCA

Kjellander Sjöberg, together with City of Gothenburg’s public sector housing provider Framtiden, are one of the collaborating partners in the “Industry-wide Open Building Component Register”, a national project led by the Swedish Environmental Research Institute (IVL).

The aim is to explore possibilities for a comprehensive open building component library, along with associated methodology, that will facilitate climate calculations in the early stages of the construction process. With standardized and accessible data for modelling, sustainability can be integrated directly into the design and construction processes, enabling more informed decisions regarding climate impact.

As a pilot study, we are developing a climate impact calculation model linked to a modular residential typology system “Framtidens kvarter”. The project is co-funded by the Swedish Institute for Water and Air Pollution Research (SIVL) and SBUF.

Gjuteriet on the heritage project list for Dezeen Awards 2024

KS’s transformation of industrial heritage Gjuteriet for Varvsstaden in Malmö has been longlisted for the Dezeen Awards 2024 in the heritage category. The seventh edition of the awards programme, organised by the world’s most popular and influential architecture and design website Dezeen, continues to champion design excellence and showcase innovation from architects and designers around the globe.

From over 4,130 entries, Gjuteriet is one of 227 architecture projects that are in the running to win an award later this year. The next stage will see all longlisted projects assessed by a prestigious panel of international judges and leading industry figures who will decide which ones will be included on the shortlists, announced in October, and ultimately the winners in each category, revealed in November.

Public engagement Rosengård

Kjellander Sjöberg, in collaboration with Rosengård fastigheter and the Malmö City Council, are currently working on a Local Plan for a 16-storey residential building, located on a formerly commercial site in Törnrosen in Rosengård, Malmö. The scheme is the first milestone in the Culture Casbah urban development project, seeking to enhance the neighbourhood and create opportunities for the locals.

On Monday 2nd September, the Malmö City Council organised a public engagement event, inviting the local community to Bennets väg 13 to present and discuss the proposal, and to answer questions.

The event was well-attended, with many residents expressing curiosity and sharing their views on the proposed building, material choices, apartment types, housing queue; and their wishes for public uses on the ground floor, the design of the new courtyard and other features.

Urbanistica Podcast – Cities for People

We’re really excited to have been invited to take part in one of the latest episodes of Urbanistica Podcast – Cities for People, covering urban design and planning topics as well as exploring stories about how to make cities for people. Thank you, Mustafa Sherif, for the invitation and for hosting such an inspiring international platform for dialogue; with over 440 episodes of quality content about making better urban places.

Angela Woda, senior urban designer, and founding director Stefan Sjöberg share their thoughts and experience from Kjellander Sjöberg´s urban design projects, reflecting on community development and masterplanning in the UK, highlighting KS’s work on the Hartree masterplan in Cambridge with 5600 new homes, workspaces, schools and green community assets, as well as discussing lessons learnt working in London and around Scandinavia.

– How do we measure success in a long-term development?

– What are the routes to a meaningful public engagement – and how does it underpin our work?

– How do we ensure everyone is on board, heard and listened to in broad teams?

– Setting values and mutual goals as a key factor in transformative processes

Listen on Spotify
About Urbanistica Podcast

New homes at Telefonplan

We are delighted to have been entrusted with the design of a new, charming residential scheme at Telefonplan in Stockholm for Klövern. The Viridum block, close to the city centre, will comprise approximately 140 apartments in a well-established urban setting, close to amenities, the metro, restaurants, preschools, a school, and leisure facilities.

The area around Telefonplan has its own unique identity, with a history linked to LM Ericsson’s operations, boasting high cultural values and many older industrial buildings to draw inspiration from. The smart, well-designed homes will range from studios to 4-bedroom apartments, 34 to 110 square meters. With a communal courtyard, spacious balconies, and terraces, it will be a comfortable and enjoyable place to live.

The project has ambitious sustainability goals and will be certified with BREEAM Excellent. Construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2025.

Image – preliminary facade sketch

Circularity fits like a glove

Kjellander Sjöberg’s transformation of Gjuteriet in Malmö for Varvsstaden is featured in the June 2024 issue of Fastighetstidningen – a magazine about real estate that also covers topics that are important for the industry’s development and its role in the society.

In the comprehensive article, Leo Gullbring reasons about circular and sustainable construction, architectural qualities, circular economy adaptation, and how ambitious programs are created when the construction industry is to become climate neutral.

– We weren’t interested in just showcasing and varnishing industrial environments that told a story from the city’s heyday. We wanted the building to last another hundred years. The exposed steel frame proved functional, and the building’s structure opened up a wealth of ideas. We could create a kind of sustainability hierarchy where we started with what was already there and gradually added local, renewable materials, and of course, a few that don’t quite meet the standard, like mineral wool in the worst case, says Stefan Sjöberg.

Fastighetstidningen, Nr 3 June 2024 p. 50-52

Read the article by Fastighetstidningen (in Swedish)
Read more about Gjuteriet

KS at Building Green Hamburg

ACT NOW! Everyone is talking about the urgent need for a change, to reorganise the building sector. There is no time to lose. We are facing an acute climate crisis for which the construction industry bears a large part of the responsibility. We have the solutions and the knowledge of what needs to be done, but how do we get from talking to doing?

Featuring the revitalisation of Kockum’s formerly industrial area in Malmö and the example of Gjuteriet, Stefan Sjöberg will present the process of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through minimising resource consumption and impact on the climate caused by urban transformation and construction processes. How focusing on sustainable strategies and common goals early in the process is essential for the necessary transition as well as for the built result – architecture. The lecture, titled: Reimagning industrial heritage, will take place on 19 June at 11:15 on the main stage.

Time and place:
19 – 20 June 2024
Fischauktionshalle
Große Elbstraße 9
Hamburg

Focus on hybrid architecture and industrial heritage

Our Team Superlocal comprising of Kjellander Sjöberg, Förstberg Ling and We Made That has been selected by the developers Skanska Fastigheter and Riksbyggen, in collaboration with Malmö City Council and process management by Gunilla Kronvall, to partake in an innovative, forward-looking, and exciting parallel assignment for Trollhättan 6 on Universitetsholmen in Malmö.

The brief’s main aspiration is to explore the use of existing resources, hybrid architecture and an ambitious sustainability agenda. The design should enhance Malmö’s special character and become an exemplar in highlighting industrial heritage. Trollhättan 6 is to become a mixed urban block with new workplaces and homes, providing central areas and meeting places that activate the urban realm.

We are looking forward to working with the jury and our amazing colleagues: Holly Lewis, co-founding partner of We Made That in London as critical advisor. Björn Förstberg, founder of Förstberg Ling in Malmö, winner of the Housing Award 2023 for Twelve Houses.

Our Team Superlocal will investigate the site conditions, its role and character, and how to create a more inclusive neighbourhood and a sense of belonging for people and businesses in the neighbourhood.

The assignment will be preceded by a series of workshops where participating architects, together with the organizers, examine and discuss central issues of the development and design.

Hartree shortlisted for the Pineapples for Community Engagement

The Pineapples are the only awards that celebrate the very best in placemaking and place-led initiatives, with an exciting programme and a commitment to recognising projects that make a positive social, environmental and economic impact.

Kjellander Sjöberg are leading the masterplan and design programme, which have been driven by the core of the engagement approach, building a process to form trust and a genuine relationship with the community and involve them in the design of Hartree. The engagement workstreams have been led by our wonderful clients TOWN. & LandsecU+I together with ECF and landowners Cambridge City Council and Anglian Water Services.

Championing the key principles of people, city and planet, the vision for Hartree is to create a place that has positive social, economic and environmental impact built around a pioneering 5-minute neighbourhood which will give local people everything they need to thrive, within just a five-minute walk or cycle away. Focusing on the human experience, it will be a walkable, inclusive low-carbon new neighbourhood that will play a part in shaping the city’s future.

Gjuteriet nominated for the Kasper Salin Prize 2024

‘Through diligent work with reuse, the old shipyard ruin has been transformed into a multifaceted workspace building, preserving the history of the site with its architecture whilst exploring new means of expression. The project embraces diversity and variation, and its articulation is informed by the relationships between original, reused, and new materials.’ From the jury’s report.

The prize is awarded annually by Architects Sweden to a recently completed building of high architectural quality to stimulate and disseminate good examples. Gjuteriet in Malmö is one of the four nominees for the Kasper Salin Prize which is considered the most prestigious award in the country. The winner will be revealed at the Architecture Gala on 9th April.

Gjuteriet is a transformation project; a reimagination of an industrial heritage focusing on circular strategies and a high degree of material reuse in the former Kockum’s shipyard area in Malmö. The project is designed by Kjellander Sjöberg for Varvsstaden, in collaboration with the contractor PEAB and the tenant Oatly.

Read jury's report (in Swedish)
Read more about Kasper Salin Prize 2024 (in Swedish)
Read more about Gjuteriet