Future of sustainable housing in Malmö

The smart, energy-efficient residential scheme Solkvarteret nears its completion in Malmö’s south-western district of Hyllie. It has been developed in a close collaboration between Kjellander Sjöberg, E.ON, Lansa and Serneke, comprising 106 architecturally climate-efficient apartments.

The main design objective was to create Malmö’s most user-friendly and intelligent housing. The residents will experience how easy it is to play a part in resource consciousness and sustainable lifestyle, facilitated by diverse integrated technical and architectural solutions. Lifts generate electricity when in use and to be able to measure and continuously optimize the energy use, the entire property will be connected to a management cloud service.

Environmentally conscious and long-term sustainable smart material choices have guided the whole design process whilst providing for green meeting places and urban farming were a given. Sustainable housing of the future combines technical innovations with architectural design. It will age beautifully over time, appreciated both by the residents as well as passers-by.

Completion is due in Q2 2023 when residents will move in.

New Culture Casbah in Rosengård

Rosengård fastigheter JV has revealed the latest sketches for the Rosengård urban development in Malmö, designed in collaboration with Kjellander Sjöberg. It is the first time since the 1970’s Million Programme new buildings are to be built in the area.

The development introduces diverse types of new content to the area to address socio-economic challenges. The goal is to create a more vibrant, urban, green, and safe neighbourhood with human scale in focus. The scheme will deliver 200 apartments, 30 retail units and a high-rise building as a new landmark. The transformation of Rosengård also brings a multitude of unique destination points along the main urban axis. Flexible meeting spaces, new greenery, sections with higher pulse as well as with a calm pace, safe courtyards directly linked to the main axis and a new entrance to the Rosengåd neighbourhood.

The master planning stage is expected to be completed in 2023.

KS on the Thamesmead Waterfront shortlist

We are delighted to be one of the five shortlisted teams in the run for Peabody´s epic Thamesmead Waterfront development. The competition, organised by Colander Associates, will select ‘a visionary and strategic’ master planner for the 100ha scheme on the southern banks of the River Thames. The redevelopment will bring thousands of new homes along with commercial and leisure space, and new green and blue landscaping to the area.

KS is in an exciting, diverse team with Tibbalds, Stirling Prize-winner Mikhail Riches, Haptic and Expedition, joined by AJ 40 under 40 winner Madeleine Kessler, Mary Duggan Architects, Tintagel Bridge designer William Matthews Associates, Gardiner and Theobald, Gibson Thornley, GS Solutions, Innovation First, LOLA Architects, Nick Elias Studio, Nordic – Office of Architecture and ZCD Architects. We are very excited about this opportunity, keeping our fingers crossed to be selected as the team to deliver a visionary and distinct place by the River Thames. The winning team will be announced in March 2021.

KS Shop 05: Transformation of architectural heritage

We would like to invite you to a windowsill vernissage of our exhibition about Gjuteriet, exploring how a culturally significant historical building could be regenerated and given a new life. The exhibition opens on 8th February in the KS Shop in Malmö.

The transformation of Gjuteriet is an ongoing project of KS, commissioned by Varvsstaden AB. The building was originally built in 1910 as a foundry for casting machine parts for Kockums’ ships and bridges. Nowadays it is one of the most prominent architectural heritage landmarks in Malmö. Its regeneration presents an opportunity to ask questions about how we approach historical industrial buildings and how could we create balance between preservation and adaptation to our time with different needs and conditions. How reusing the existing structures and buildings could lead to a more sustainable architecture with a reduced environmental impact.

KS Shop is our studio and workshop in Malmö, facing Engelbrektsgatan and the urban life outside. Its shopfront represents our way of inviting public to a meeting place and a gallery organizing talks and exhibitions of architecture and community. We want to broaden the dialogue, inspire, awaken creativity and generate new thoughts. We have created a well-known and respected concept for discussing topics which can contribute to city development, sustainability, community and good living conditions. Take part in our Think Tanks, Shop Talks and Work Shops. Take a seat on our community bench outside and watch people pass by or initiate a spontaneous dialogue.

Date and location:
8th February 2021, 15:00
KS Shop
Kjellander Sjöberg
Engelbrektsgatan 7
211 33 Malmö

To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, the entire exhibition can be experienced through the shopfront. We ask everybody to keep a safe distance from other people and follow the latest recommendations.

Meridian Water, Enfield

KS has been appointed as Spatial Masterplan Lead for Meridian Water by the London Borough of Enfield. The 6-billion-pound, 20+ year regeneration programme will bring 10,000 homes alongside a truly mixed-use community with 6,000 jobs and commercial clusters to Enfield. From the newly opened station, the area will grow to be a rich urban place and one of the most sustainable in the UK with a commitment by the borough to making the development carbon neutral by 2030. During 2020, the newly appointed design team has ventured to craft a new masterplan based on people orientated placemaking and working with themes of performative landscapes, park life on your doorstep; lifting existing green and blue assets, shaping places for making and creating as well as vibrant animated streets fit for pedestrians and cyclists.

The masterplan team consist of Kjellander Sjöberg, Periscope, Mae Architects, 5th Studio, Urban Symbiotics, Jacobs Engineering, Useful Projects, Knight Architects and many more specialists.

KS Shop 04: Forgotten Spaces of the Skåne County

KS is proud to host the ‘Forgotten Spaces of the Skåne County’ exhibition in the Malmö Shop.The exhibition highlights industrial heritage and the significance of production as an essential element in the history of our cities. What remains today in the form of genuine and inspiring environments are unique assets that can be used in many ways and new contexts. Conservation and transformation developments provide opportunities for a better anchoring in the place and inspiring experiences, forming conditions for local economies to thrive, creating new workplaces and meeting points. Global sustainability goals can be achieved through recycling and transformation, a more resource-conscious and socially sustainable approach.

The exhibition is organised by Kjellander Sjöberg, using material from the newly published book ‘Forgotten Spaces of the Skåne County’ by Carl Bergendorffs (orig. Skånes glömda rum).

The book illustrates the heyday of industrialism in Skåne County through 250 unique colour images and personal reflections on the historic events from the middle of the 19th century to the present day. The mining industry, shipbuilding and manufacturing, peat harvesting, sowing, production of lime and cement as well as sugar industry and SSA, once the largest company in Sweden, all come to life again in this book. At a time when our port and industrial areas are being transformed into attractive residential areas, the book is a retrospect of what is now disappearing at a rapid pace. More than half of the settings covered have been demolished or transformed; most of them never shown in print before.

Date and location:

14th December 2020
KS Shop
Kjellander Sjöberg
Engelbrektsgatan 7
211 33 Malmö

KS publishes a catalogue of hand sketches

Kjellander Sjöberg publishes a collection of sketches created in the office during the recent years. The “Hand Sketches” catalogue presents a selection of sketches from various stages of the design process, ranging from initial pencil drawings to digital mixed media presentation illustrations. It highlights hand sketches as important tools for the creative work, a point of departure for joint discussions and critical reflections, as a way to transition from a contextual analysis to design ideas. Just a few strokes can create a better understanding of space, content, and future qualities of the environment.

“Hand sketches” are printed in the same format as the previous publications Commoning Kits and Kjellander Sjöberg 1998-2018.

Read the catalogue here.

Construction begins on Nacka Strand 10

Construction on Kjellander Sjöberg’s project for Besqab in Nacka Strand has begun. The scheme comprises 200 residential units overlooking the bay, close to nature as well as Stockholm’s inner city. The design draws inspiration from the industrial character of the surroundings while introducing a contemporary layer to the area. The development is characterized by the immense height difference of the site, addressing it by stepping the building volumes and thus providing a variation in the cityscape, reinforced by alternating façade materials. Great emphasis was put on creating apartments with excellent daylight conditions and balconies facing the inner courtyard. Retail on the ground floor interacts with the adjacent streets while the residents can enjoy two spacious shared roof terraces.

Residents are scheduled to move in during Q1 2022.

New meeting place in Södertälje

Kjellander Sjöberg, together with Qetar, is designing a new meeting place with a restaurant and hotel in Södertälje. The site is centrally located by Nora kvarn at Torekällberget; previously home to a classical inn, destroyed a few years ago in a devastating fire.

Kjellander Sjöberg has developed a design proposal as a base for the new development plan scheduled for public hearing in December 2020. The main goal is to recreate an exceptional culinary meeting place in the city, and to add value and attract visitors to the local open-air museum at Torekällberget. The point of departure is the museum’s mission to tell the story of the city during the second half of the 19th century when it became a seaside resort and a tourist destination. The design for the new inn and hotel is based on an analysis of the culturally valuable historical surroundings; Promenadparken and Camitzka trädgården.

Villa Visuri featured in Residence magazine

Villa Visuri, drawn by Kjellander Sjöberg in 2017, has been featured in the September issue of the Residence Magazine. The villa is located on the fringe of Gävle archipelago, designed to work both as a home for the family as well as a beautiful environment to take photographs of interior products by the family-owned business. The point of departure was the unique location of the site. The clear and simple architecture of two connected building volumes in cedar wood around an L-shaped courtyard, discretely placed in the topography, is intended as a contrast to the pristine nature. The building and the courtyard face the sea to the east, providing a view over the archipelago. The form, sightlines and vistas connect the interior spaces to the surroundings.

Residence magazine, no 8, 2020, p. 98 – 110

KS to transform a major architectural testament in Varvsstaden

Kjellander Sjöberg has been commissioned by Varvsstaden AB to transform one of the major examples of industrial heritage in Malmö – Gjuteriet. In a close collaboration with the City of Malmö and the tenant, the building will be converted into a new headquarters for the world-renowned Swedish company Oatly. The project will deliver approximately 4,600 sq m of floor area located centrally by the inner harbour basin, near the Malmö University and close to the inner city.

The design approach is based on the inherent robust industrial character of the existing building and inserts new creative workspaces to create a contemporary vibrant open meeting space. The original loadbearing steel frame as well as the façades are preserved and complemented by new materials, following the clearly stated sustainable profile of the project. The new loadbearing structure is made of timber and the complementary elements make use of recycled materials from other demolished buildings belonging to the Kockum’s area.

The project has been granted building approval, and the handover is due in 2023.

Brent Cross Town, a park town for future London

We are proud to share that our client Argent Related has unveiled the vision for one of the UK’s largest developments – Brent Cross Town – a project we have been a part of in collaboration with Glenn Howells Architects and the Barnet Council. The ambitious scheme will transform the area into an inclusive, accessible town centre that will evolve to support the changing demands of modern life.

The development will deliver 6,700 new homes, becoming a new hub in the capital for state-of-the-art sports and leisure facilities. Restaurants, retail including local amenities and services, leisure, culture, and events will add to the vibrancy of the area. Brent Cross Town is designed to be sustainable and promote health and wellbeing.

Previously known as Brent Cross South, the development was made possible thanks to great collaboration of David Morley Architects, dRMM, East Architecture, Gillespies, Glenn Howells Architects, Kjellander Sjöberg, Maccreanor Lavington, SkedKM, Moxon Architects and Studio Egret West.

KS Shop 03: Faaborg

We are delighted to announce the opening of our Faaborg exhibition. The vernissage will take place on 16th September 2020 in the KS Shop in Malmö.

Faaborg is a coastal town located on the island of Funen in southern Denmark, one of the oldest trading cities in the country. Faaborg is currently facing three major challenges. It needs to immediately focus on the high risk of flooding caused by the climate change, the historically and culturally valuable city centre needs to reinforce its connections to the surrounding landscape, and the entire town suffers from a decrease in population. To address those, and to maintain the town’s strong position as an attractive urban environment and a travel destination, the Faaborg municipality and Realdania jointly organized a competition with the aim to create a strategic development plan for the city. Three invited teams participated in an open process which provided multiple opportunities for an open dialogue.

Kjellander Sjöberg has won the competition in collaboration with LYTT Architecture, Mogens A. Morgen, Realise and Tyréns.

Time and place:
16th September 2020, 17:00-18:30
KS Shop
Kjellander Sjöberg
Engelbrektsgatan 7
211 33 Malmö

Shop Talk 04: Meanwhile Use

How can we unlock the community potential of unused spaces?

For instance, by transforming and reusing former industrial buildings, creating pop-up parks or temporary urban community gardens on previous industrial sites?

Such unused or underused spaces are often referred to as “meanwhile” as they are interim solutions, ways to rejuvenate spaces while waiting for long-term development plans or construction to commence.

Guests:
Jonathan Goring, U + I, London (UK)
Jenny Grettve, Director of Jenny Grettve Studio, Malmö (SE)
Tom Holbrook, Director of 5th Studio, London (UK)
Claudia Alex Laroux, Director of Culture of Tunnelfabrikken, Copenhagen (DK)
Kieran Long, Director of ArkDes, Stockholm (SE)
Johan Pitura, KS Malmö Director, Malmö (SE)

Date: 27th May

More often today meanwhile strategies play a significant role in defining character for placemaking and identity in developing urban districts. Due to new consumer and citizen demands, businesses, retail and creative start-ups have an increasing desire for unusual spaces and authenticity. As for urban planning and regeneration projects, these existing structures or spaces offer a potential for a more organic and sustainable growth, incorporating a slower and more flexible rate of local micro-economies to develop, that may give another life to communities and heritage. That builds value both from a neighbourhood perspective as well as create real estate value.

How can these projects be cleverly integrated into urban renewal; drivers to create public value and new experiences? With expanded cultural and employment possibilities. Could a meanwhile-strategic-approach ensure that urban development and building projects become less exposed to “the unpredictable gamechangers” (such as Covid-19) and instead have the potential to drive innovation and community engagement?

Go to Shop Talk 04

Transformation of a brutalist gem in Uppsala

We are currently developing Sverre, a residential property on a prominent site facing Vaksala torg in central Uppsala. The project is on assignment for developer Uppsalahem. The block was originally designed by the Anker-Gate-Lindegren architectural practice at the end of the 1960s and comprised solely of large apartments. The key design objective was to provide more residential units in the existing building by subdividing large apartments into smaller ones, as well as adding a two-storey roof extension and a new complementary building in the courtyard with additional apartments. Both volumes are between five and seven floors high with retail spaces such as restaurants and other businesses on the ground floor.

The construction works on site have commenced and we are thrilled to witness the transformation the building will undergo. The work is expected to be completed in 2020-2021.