Think Tank 022: Reflective practice & process

Shaping inclusive environments

How do we shape future design processes of our shared (and) physical living environment?

Reflective and responsive architectural practice needs to address current challenges and explore new territories.

In a changing social and planetary environment, what is the architect’s role?

In the midst of major transformation with blurred boundaries, hybrid combinations, and multiple stakeholders; what new types of collaborations are critical?

For this Think Tank, we have invited prominent architects based in Paris to take us through some fundamental aspects of their workshops; their processes, culture and methods.

Their thinking.

Through highly inspiring examples and references, we promote a panel discussion primarily on principles and possible paths towards a healthier, more sustainable, adaptive and inclusive future.

We would like to investigate common grounds as well as distinctively individual features that make a diverse and meaningful contribution to urban places and to the discourse.

This is a session to encourage an exchange of ideas, perspectives and experiences.
Welcome!

The event will be hosted by Architects Sweden and Institut Suédois with Kjellander Sjöberg.

Panel:
Studio Muoto (FR)
Septembre Architecture (FR)
Nicolas Dorval-Bory (FR)
Plan Común (FR)

Time and place:
15th September 2022, 19:30
Institut Suédois
11 rue Payenne
F-75003 Paris
France

The event will be in English and is open for everyone.

Ekelund Pampas public consultation open

Located in Solna within the Metropolitan Stockholm, by the Pampas Marina and Västra Skogen, Kjellander Sjöberg in collaboration with HSB and Aros Bostad are developing a new district with close proximity to central Stockholm, nature and the active marina. The site, surrounded by substantial infrastructure and dominated by large buildings and currently comprising a diverse mix of environments with disparate characters, will be transformed into a vibrant and pleasant neighbourhood for residents and visitors.

The point of departure for the design is the interpretation of the site as a very special meeting between the city, nature and water. The masterplan is tailored to the surrounding topography, infrastructure and urban fabric, and is based on a traditional grid with massing varying between 6 and 8 floors. The material palette employs warm, earthy, natural tones, and is inspired by the site’s history as well as classic facade materials.

The new neighbourhood will provide new residential units, retail, pre-schools and restaurants on the ground floor.

Ekelund Pampas is a collaboration between Kjellander Sjöberg (masterplanner and residential architect), HSB, Aros Bostad, Solna Municipality, Urbio (landscape architect), Strategisk Arkitektur (office architect) and Iterio (transport).

The public consultation is open until 14th September 2022.

Image: Darcstudio

Meridian Water Masterplan team on site

Invited by the Enfield Council, the core Meridian Water Masterplan team consisting of Kjellander Sjöberg, Periscope, Mae Architects, Jacobs Engineering and the London Borough of Enfield, has met on site to exchange expertise and to walk through the entire area and experience its unique qualities.

The team visited the Building BloQs, a professional makerspace and a social enterprise focusing on creating and maintaining space and resources for people to make a living off their craft, and took the last opportunity to see the former gasworks Drumsheds, a renowned event space which closed earlier this year.

Meridian Water is a major regeneration programme, bringing 10,000 homes alongside a truly mixed-use community with 6,000 jobs and commercial clusters to Enfield.

Nacka Port public consultation

KS has, in collaboration with Balder and Innovation Properties, developed a proposal for a new gateway to Nacka, featuring two high-rise residential buildings and creating a new distinct landmark for the wider area. The two towers comprise 30 and 40 floors respectively and the scheme overall will deliver approximately 250 apartments, a large number of workplaces and activate the area with local amenities, commercial units and services. The clear composition and the design for Nacka Port was inspired by the neighbouring, culturally valuable Klintens färgfabrik, a former paint factory set to be refurbished to regain its former glory.

The consultation for Nacka Port is open until 19th September 2022.

Think Tank 021: Proximity

Nearness, scale & community

How do we establish a sense of community and belonging in the urban context? Can local identity and a sense of kinship have a positive impact on how we use public space? Having the ‘Groupings’ exhibition as the point of departure, the Think Tank 021 will explore the topic of ‘Proximity’ through nearness, scale and community. Is the ‘we experience’ based on geographical closeness or is it a community founded on shared culture and values?

Proximity is the experience of being close. Proximity gives opportunities to create relationships, exchange expertise, and share resources. It provides a sense of community and belonging, helping us towards a socially, economically and environmentally sustainable future.

Together with a highly qualified and knowledgeable panel, consisting of Finn Williams, the City Architect of Malmö, and outstanding Swedish and UK architecture practices Mae Architects, MARELD, IF_DO, Mole Architects, We Made That and Fisher Cheng, we will investigate proximity on different scales such as district, urban park, neighbourhood, institution, block, workplace and home, bringing examples from Sweden and the UK.

Arranged by Kjellander Sjöberg.

Panel guests:
Finn Williams (UK + SWE)
IF_DO (UK)
Fisher Cheng (UK)
Mae Architects (UK)
MARELD (SWE)
Mole Architects (UK)
We Made That (UK)

Time and place:
21th June, 5PM BST
Digital event, Zoom Webinar ID: 815 1485 8984

The event will be in English and is open for everyone.

Image: Henley Halebrown / Kjellander Sjöberg / 6a architects / DK-CM / JCLA / Plan A

Next step for Paushuset in Enköping

Kjellander Sjöberg, together with ALM Småa Bostad, Andersson Company and Enköping Municipality, are developing the Bagaren block, also known as Paushuset, located on Stora torget in Enköping. The transformation seeks to create a new social destination and to provide a vibrant urban environment, establishing the town square as a key place for the whole city.

Following the public consultation held in Q4 2021, the building volumes and scale have been optimised to improve the relationship with the surrounding existing buildings in the town centre.

The new Paushuset will provide retail units, food & beverage, exhibition spaces, workplaces, housing, rooftop bars and outdoor restaurants facing the square.

The revised proposal was presented to public earlier this year and the review period was concluded on 11th May.

Groupings exhibition at the Southern Sweden Design Days 2022

We are opening our Work Shop in Malmö between 19 – 22 May, presenting the ’Groupings’ exhibition as a part of the Southern Sweden Design Days 2022. The exhibition displays precedents by invited Swedish and UK practices: Mae Architects, Mareld Landskap, IF_DO, Mole Architects, We Made That and Fisher Cheng.

The theme for this year’s Southern Sweden Design Days is ‘Proximity’. KS’s exhibition highlights how do we experience urban settings at various scales. Could local affiliation and identity have a positive impact on how we use the public realm? Is the ‘we experience’ based on geographical proximity or is it a community founded on shared culture and values? The notions of ’group’ and ’groupings’ are examined on different scales such as neighbourhood, district, block, institution, urban park, workplace and home.

Southern Sweden Design Days is an international annual design festival in Malmö, focusing on sustainability, collaboration, development and innovation. For four days, a platform is created showcasing a full range of design disciplines through seminars, workshops, exhibitions and networking events.

Opening hours:
Thursday 19 May, 13:00 – 17:00
Friday 20 May, 13:00 – 17:00
Saturday 21 May, 12:00 – 16:00
Sunday 22 May, 12:00 – 16:00

Kjellander Sjöberg
Engelbrektsgatan 7
211 33 Malmö

Image: Henley Halebrown / Kjellander Sjöberg / 6A Architects / DK-CM / JCLA / Plan A

Urban regeneration competition Sugar Factory

Kjellander Sjöberg, in an international team with KOGAA and Open Fabric, in the top 3 of the concluded second phase of the urban regeneration competition in the city of Slapanice in Czech Republic. It was organised by the council in two stages, seeking to revitalise a former sugar factory area, transforming it into a new social and cultural centre for the locals.

The point of departure for the proposal was the distinct industrial heritage of the site, its conditions and relationship to the surroundings as well as immediate needs of the local community. Through high-quality placemaking, gradual phasing and introducing public content and greenery to the site, the concept creates an attractive destination for the public with a wide range of services for the community that is both just and economically feasible.

Excerpt from the jury report:
‘The proposal is characterised by a very strong concept based on gradual phasing and, among other things, a participatory approach to its realisation. It can be seen as a creative concept utilising the existing industrial atmosphere of the area informed by community planning. […] The refurbishment of the silo building is well envisioned, thoroughly designed also from the structural perspective […]’

Strategies for the countryside

Stefan Sjöberg has been invited to present strategies for a vibrant, liveable countryside at the 2022 Swedish Land and Environment Court annual theme days in Stockholm on 4th May. Featuring the masterplan for Little Haldens in High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire as the point of departure, the lecture will provide insight into the work and creation of new, attractive communities in the countryside that are both sustainable and viable in the long term.

The Engineering Days take place 3-4 May with ‘Meeting Place in City and Countryside’ as the main theme.
The event is initiated by the Swedish Land and Environment Court.

The masterplan for Little Haldens was developed in a wider design team with Periscope, Mae and Useful Projects for Human Nature.

On urban regeneration and social dynamics at the Polytechnic University of Milan

How can we approach design and transformation of our cities to generate new social contexts while creating iconic and complex buildings? Ola Kjellander has been invited to give a lecture at the Polytechnic University of Milan on 28th April. Titled ’Urban renewal and social dynamics’, a series of KS’s projects employing a variety of urban planning strategies will be presented, giving examples of both Swedish and international projects.

The lecture is a part of the New European Bauhaus Festival, featuring renowned architects such as Karim Nader, Yves Moreau and Kazuyo Sejima.

The event is open to public and will be broadcasted online.
Watch the lecture here: https://politecnicomilano.webex.com/meet/matteo.motti

Time and place:
28th April, 16:30 – 17:15
Piacenza Campus
PoliMi, Via Scalabrini 113
Piacenza, Italy

Read the invitation here.

KS arranges a seminar about wood construction in Malmö

The construction industry in the Nordic countries has always been closely related to wood. How did we build before the modern construction techniques such as cross-laminated boards, glued laminated timber frames, steel brackets and CNC milling machines?

In collaboration with Tränätverk A, KS organizes a seminar to discuss fundamental questions associated with wood construction, such as assessing the quality of wood and various types of joinery informed by the terms and conditions of wood as a material. The invited guests are Sofie Campanello from Fabel Arkitektur and Jakob Nilsson from Gögalunds Såg & Hantverk.

Tränätverk A is a platform for architects and other specialists to bring up and discuss topics. By sharing inspiration, experiences and projects across different professions, the whole industry benefits and the development of wood construction can advance.

The seminar is free of charge and open to public.
RSVP to event@tranatverka.se

Time and place:
21st April, 17:30
Kjellander Sjöberg
Engelbrektsgatan 7, Malmö

Read the invitation here (in Swedish)

KS launching a new urban studio focusing on masterplanning and urban design

Kjellander Sjöberg has developed a reputation for making inspiring buildings and places dedicated to positive social and environmental change.

No Border Studio is part of our latest evolution; the formation of a specialist spatial design agency that reflects our profound interest in the future of urban places. Synthesizing the interdisciplinary principles of sustainable city-making with the design of streets and spaces, No Border Studio makes highly granular creative masterplans to shape new neighbourhoods and communities at a human scale. With our shared planetary boundaries as the only borders we recognize.

As a hands-on platform for driving a broader discourse on spatial practice to tackle current challenges at a larger city scale, No Border Studio operates cross-sectionally within Kjellander Sjöberg and engages in a rich and constructive discourse with clients, community groups and bespoke design teams on key projects, where we contribute with rich experience in the design and delivery of visionary urban and masterplanning projects on all scales both within the public and private sectors.

No Border Studio works out of the Kjellander Sjöberg studios in Stockholm, Malmö & London. It is led by Angela Woda and Astrid Gabrielsson.

Read the Press Release here
Read more about No Border Studio

KS’s contribution to the future of the Stadion area

Kjellander Sjöberg, in collaboration with the City of Malmö, has developed a vision for the future of the Stadion area in central Malmö. The sports district, well established in the city since the 1950s, will be transformed into a prominent neighbourhood, focusing on sport, recreation, events and meetings. The vision will deliver student housing and accommodation for athletes as well as a main multi-purpose stadium, a mobility hub, an entrance square, offices and commercial facilities. KS has adopted the core ambitions of the City of Malmö to create a vibrant, safe urban environment for all.

The first of three stages was finished during the autumn 2021.
The second stage is currently ongoing, focusing on the multi-purpose stadium, mobility hub, concept homes and office.

Floor Plans catalogue

KS brings floor plans into the spotlight. The new ‘Floor Plans’ catalogue highlights layouts as an important tool and presents drawing examples from 30 projects of various types and scales. Asking questions about flexibility, context and inclusion, KS is approaching a design process focusing on meetings between people and social interaction. A layout can act as an instruction as well as a description. It is an attempt at order and a clear arrangement of exterior and interior spatial sequences, aspiring to provide conditions for a viable, sustainable, vibrant society for all.

‘Floor Plans’ is the latest catalogue in the KS series, comprising the previously published ‘Hand Sketches’, ‘Commoning Kits’ and ‘Kjellander Sjöberg 1998-2018’ publications.

Read the catalogue here.

What can we do right here, right now? (Hope from Wood blog article)

The Museum of Finnish Architecture has published a blog article written by Stefan Sjöberg, based on his lecture ‘Adaptive Use: How to use the already built as a resource’ given in November 2021 as a part of the Hope from Wood Discussion Series. The text stresses the importance of immediate action and attempts to address the climate crisis in the everyday activities. It offers reasoning regarding challenges and possibilities through highlighting essential principles for recycling and resource-conscious construction, presenting KS’s Gjuteriet transformation project as an example. Embracing the utilisation of the existing and striving to do as little as possible that may harm our planet, the article introduces a methodology that promotes projects that are fundamentally sustainable.

‘The choice of materials for any new construction must be based on what is available locally to minimise impact on the climate. This intrinsically defines a vocabulary and a tectonic language, a format and framework of specific conditions, rather than giving a total freedom for one’s vision. More ethics, less aesthetics.’

Hope from Wood Discussion Series was organised by the You Tell Me Collective in November 2021 as a part of the main Hope from Wood exhibition at the Museum of Finnish Architecture.

Read the article on the website of the Museum of Finnish Architecture
Read more about Hope from Wood

Innovation within the Circular Economy

KS has been invited to give a Pecha Kucha talk at the New London Architecture (NLA) in London. With circular economy in the building industry as its point of departure, the event seeks to highlight innovative and sustainable projects that can help London to transition into a zero-energy and zero-waste city.

Joining a panel of London based practices, Stefan Sjöberg will discuss circular economy strategies and present the Gjuteriet transformation project in Malmö, which minimises use of resources and reduces its impact on the climate by preserving building components, complementing them with recycled materials collected in the Varvsstaden material library.

NLA is the world’s leading centre for excellence for the built environment. It explores and spreads knowledge about London’s future opportunities and challenges through research, exhibitions, events and publications.

The event is free of charge and open for public.

Time and place:
2nd March 2022
18:00 – 20:00 (GMT)
New London Architecture
London

Kjellander Sjöberg architects launch London practice

After several years of active participation in the capital’s development, we are very happy to announce that we are launching our London practice. Recognized and awarded for outstanding architecture and urbanism, we aim to bring the best of Scandinavian innovation, design & climate smart intelligence to the UK.

KS London will be headed by Stefan Sjöberg, Founding Partner and London Director, providing continuity, creativity, and experience across our Scandinavian and UK practices. Stefan will be joined by Irfan Alam, Associate Director, with a background of working with some of the most renowned award-winning architectural firms in London. Irfan will lead UK projects with a focus on design quality and excellence and drive the development of the studio.

We are very pleased to be working closely with Periscope in shared Dalston studios to collaborate on urban design, public realm strategies, spatial narratives, and architectural design.

Read the Press Release here
Read more about Periscope

Build for Water Copenhagen

’Build for Water’ is a new conference calling for immediate action and promotion of knowledge concerning climate change adaptation amongst key actors within the civil engineering sector. For two days, leading professionals will discuss the role of water in the city, sharing specific examples of how future requirements and changed hydrological conditions are combined in development projects.

Stefan Sjöberg and Daniel Rea from Periscope will present the emerging Meridian Water masterplan for the London Borough of Enfield, titled ’Climate, character and localism; Challenging Convention at Meridian Water’.
Meridian Water is characterised by the natural green and blue landscape of the Lee Valley Regional Park crossing the area, a unique asset challenging and accelerating the core issue of climate change adaptation. Based on existing structures, this major regeneration project aims to create good living environments for the residents and stakeholders in Enfield. Providing more jobs, educational opportunities, culture, meeting places, play and food & beverage, supported by parks and recreation areas, is essential for Meridian Water being one of London’s most deprived areas.

’Build for Water’ is organised by Building Green and takes place 6-7th December 2021 in Copenhagen in Denmark.

Speakers:
Stefan Sjöberg, Founding Partner, Kjellander Sjöberg
Daniel Rea, Director, Periscope

Time and place:
7th December 09:45-10:35
Vandværket, Copenhagen
Denmark