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

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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

Tile House – A new distinct chapter in a historic inner-city environment

On Norrbackagatan 49 in Vasastan, 79 carefully designed homes are nearing completion. Kjellander Sjöberg has designed the bespoke residential infill Tile House based on the complexity of the site and its context; commissioned by the developer Fokus Nordic. In response to the district’s cultural history, a combination of twentieth-century romantic classicism and more robust industrial heritage, and the currently emerging neighbourhood Hagastaden, the scheme is a distinct and respectful addition to local character and needs. The building stands out in the streetscape with a stepped articulated volume with a muted green shimmering ceramic façade. Walking through a portico from the street, one arrives at a lush green courtyard for leisure and communal activities. At the top, a generous roof terrace offers common areas with panoramic views over Stockholm’s rooftops.

Masterplan for Hagastaden East approved

The Local Planning Authority in Stockholm has approved the masterplan for Hagastaden East, transforming the area into a new welcoming entrance to Stockholm, delivering a combination of homes, public amenities, retail units, new parks, squares, sports facilities, schools, workplaces, and many more. Hagastaden, expected to be completed by 2030, will become an inner-city neighbourhood where Stockholm and Solna meet. Currently dominated by unused land and infrastructure, the city council is removing barriers and facilitating free movement between districts in a dense and vibrant environment with new connections to the National City Park.

The masterplan for Hagastaden East includes the Ribosomen project – a new mixed-use scheme with workplaces, residential units, and retail spaces, inspired by the classical 19th century urban typology and the iconic brick architecture of Vasastaden, designed by architects such as Cyrillus Johansson, Ragnar Östberg and Edvard Bernhard. The project is being developed by Kjellander Sjöberg for Humlegården, as a result of an invited competition win.

Approved: Planning process for Rosengård

The Local Planning Authority approved the application to initiate the planning process for Rosengård on 14th December. The decision represents the first milestone in the urban development Culture Casbah, led by the landowner Rosengård fastigheter in collaboration with the Malmö City Council.

The goal is to regenerate Rosengård, transforming it from a homogenous, predominantly residential area into a mixed, vibrant, urban, and green neighbourhood. We are delighted for the opportunity to support in realising such an important vision, realising the community potential. After the fall, filled with community engagement events, public dialogues, Shop Talks, and local guided tours, there is a substantial momentum surrounding the emerging masterplan which will deliver much-needed new homes.

The tall building is part of a broader urban development strategy to activate and connect Rosengård with the rest of the city. The planning process focuses primarily on Rosengård’s central axis with a connecting green structure – Rosenparken; urban meeting places; active ground floors; and proximity – densification with new typologies and residential types.

Season’s Greetings and best wishes for the New Year

This year, we have engaged in many genuine and rewarding conversations.

Talking to those who already live, use, and know a place increases the potential for social connections, belonging, well-being, and quality of life.

Listening, establishing shared frameworks, trying to understand priorities; how to mend, improve and create new connections and inclusive, generous settings.

For us, urban development and architecture are about creating a shared vision for the future, providing better conditions for neighbourhoods and local communities to thrive and prosper.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed and made it possible – in Cambridge, Colchester, Faaborg, Gothenburg, London, Malmö, and Stockholm.

Season’s Greetings and best wishes for the New Year from all of us at Kjellander Sjöberg

Legacy: Gjuteriet in the magazine Arkitektur

– On the site of Kockum’s former shipyards, there is a new neighbourhood being built, preserving remains of the past. Looking at a timber structure suspended from retained steel beams, Jelena Mijanovi? asks herself: Is this the future?

Kjellander Sjöberg’s transformation of Gjuteriet in Malmö for Varvsstaden is published 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, Jelena Mijanovi? reasons about circular economy, material reuse as well as how architectural qualities are measured and how to ensure they key to sustainability assessments.

– Gjuteriet represents one of the great examples. The newly built parts keep a respectful distance from the historic remains. Half of the building is suspended from the preserved steel structure. The relationship between new and old is clear: the old governs while the new follows.

Magazine Arkitektur, Nr 6 2023 – Transformation, p. 44-55

Read the article by Arkitektur
Read more about Arkitektur Nr 6
Read more about Gjuteriet

Gjuteriet nominated for the Scandinavian Design Awards

KS transformation of the listed industrial building Gjuteriet in Malmö for Varvsstaden has been nominated for the Scandinavian Design Awards 2024 in the ‘Architecture of the Year’ category.

The Scandinavian Design Awards are an annual award initiated in 2023 to celebrate the best architecture, design and interiors in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland; and is a collaboration between Stockholm Furniture Fair and the publisher It Is Media.

This year’s edition takes place on 6th February in the iconic Blue Hall in the Stockholm City Hall during the Stockholm Design Week 2024. Nominees in all categories will be presented in a joint exhibition, open to the public during the Stockholm Furniture Fair 2024.

Think Tank 025: Envisioning better communities

What does the best of urban design and the future of towns & cities mean to us?

Scandinavian urban practice is currently at a high – flourishing both at home and abroad. Recent years have seen a hype around the development of our Nordic cities in relation to urban design, masterplanning, neighbourhood communities, the public good and sustainability. With an increasing demand for this way of thinking more widely – what is it about this approach to urbanism that is growing in influence and gaining international recognition?

We welcome some of the leaders in urban thinking and practice who are driving innovative approaches to the nature and quality of urban places, regenerating our built environments today and visioning the cities of the future. We are happy to host a panel with a broad perspective, bringing together Swedish and international experience.

KS designs new community landmark for Rosengård

Kjellander Sjöberg Architects, in collaboration with Rosengård fastigheter JV, are designing a new landmark for Törnrosen in Rosengård in Malmö. As part of the urban regeneration project Culture Casbah, it will deliver 60 new diverse homes, as well as activate public community content on the ground floor, directly connected to a new vibrant urban axis joining the entire district. The main objective is to create a more liveable, mixed, urban, green, and safe neighbourhood with human scale in focus where everyone feels at home.

KS have been involved in the regeneration of the area since 2021 and have actively worked with Rosengård fastigheter JV to introduce more accessible homes, retail units, workplaces and new spaces for meetings, culture, sport and play. During September, KS have participated in Malmö in the Making, a public initiative organized by the Malmö City Council, and arranged a number of public events, dialogues and guided walking tours of Rosengård.

Interview about Gjuteriet in RUM

– Gjuteriet in Malmö rises from the ruins. Kjellander Sjöberg Architects have preserved the past whilst at the same time written the next chapter in the history of the building and the area, writes Ellinor Thunberg in an extensive interview with KS Malmö Director Johan Pitura, published in the latest issue of the RUM magazine.

Kjellander Sjöberg’s transformation of Gjuteriet in Malmö for Varvsstaden is presented in the September issue of RUM – a Swedish magazine which informs, inspires and reflects on architecture, interior design and design. The comprehensive article highlights the collaborative process focused on resource-efficiency, extensive material re-use and circular strategies, aiming at preserving and revealing traces and memories which tell the story of the building.

Magazine RUM, September 2023, p. 135-142

Read the article by RUM
Read more about RUM
Read more about Gjuteriet
Read more about Think Tank 023: Gjuteriet

Faaborg: climate change adaptation activating the coastline

The coastal town of Faaborg in southern Denmark is currently facing major challenges – the most urgent being the high risk of flooding caused by climate change. Fully exposed to the sea, the low-lying medieval city is being threatened by rising sea levels and extreme rainfall. Most recently in October 2023, the water rose by 205 cm above sea level.

Appointed by Faaborg council, Kjellander Sjöberg and the Danish landscape practice LYTT Architecture are developing a climate-resilient masterplan to protect the historical town and its strong position as an attractive urban destination bordering UNESCO global geopark. The proposal will secure Faaborg using various innovative types of coastal defence techniques, adapted to the unique local character, and the part of the city built on reclaimed land is to receive a modified foundation. An underground culvert is to be transformed into an open channel where water can be regulated whilst recreating the original character of the landscape.

The commission is a result of winning a competition in 2019, organized by the municipality and Realdania, inviting teams to participate in an open process to identify opportunities through an open dialogue.