Residential win amid Hjorthagen heritage

We’re delighted to have won the architectural commission to design the Elektriciteten scheme in Hjorthagen in Stockholm, in collaboration with developer Klövern and the City of Stockholm.

The site is nestled within the heart of Hjorthagen’s cultural landscape, adjacent to the characteristic slender houses of the Abessinien neighbourhood. It’s a district with a well-established, green, small-town character, featuring a school, restaurants, and a community centre, all within easy reach of the underground network and local amenities.

The property is situated within the Stockholm Royal Seaport, a development area led by the city council, which is highly committed to sustainability and is of national cultural and historical interest.

Our vision is for an architecture that carefully manages the site’s significant potential and qualities, drawing inspiration from existing green courtyards and typical turn-of-the-20th-century features such as high ceilings, harmonious flow between rooms with generous vertical fenestration, and versatile, well-balanced floor plans. The outdoor spaces, with lush gardens and arbours, are part of the experience; at the end of the green corridor of Motalaparken, new courtyard spaces and homes are designed with a strong focus on high-quality living and a high level of architectural ambition.

“We’re looking forward to working with Kjellander Sjöberg on our Hjorthagen project. They’ve truly impressed us with their ideas for ‘Elektriciteten’. Their ability to understand the location makes us confident that the final product will be a valuable addition that ties the area’s unique environments together. Kjellander Sjöberg also has a strong focus on the future homeowners and is committed to creating a contemporary, yet timeless product, which is something we really value,” says Erik Ihse, Head of Project Development at Klövern.

The project allows for 150 to 200 apartments to be delivered. We’re excited to begin the outline planning process work with the aim of beginning construction in 2028.

The Developer and Festival of Place – Homes session

Stefan Sjöberg, Kjellander Sjoberg Architects, will present Hartree alongside Mike Bodkin from TOWN. They will unpack the vision and drivers behind shaping a bespoke, human-focused, community-centred, mixed-use, green, biodiverse urban quarter within the emerging Northeast Cambridge area.

How providing good, much-needed homes for the community often starts with the bigger picture of engagement and listening, forming the basis for placemaking; creating a supportive urban fabric that provides a range of homes and workplaces, rich neighbourhood spaces that draw inspiration from local cultural heritage:

Human-scale streets – pleasant places to be in and enjoy
Good density providing a comfortable microclimate, both in private areas and public realm
Living with nature in healthy settings that mitigate extreme climate impacts
A sense of pride and belonging, offering social value and opportunities for everyone
Many places to play, meet, cycle and sit
Shaped by local communities and by many
Shared communal amenities that add value and make life more affordable and joyful

Hartree will provide 5,600 new homes of mixed tenure; 6,000 workplaces of various formats; two schools; restaurants; shops; studios and cultural destinations. Designed by Kjellander Sjöberg Architects as masterplan lead, for the developers LandsecU+I and Town, with Cambridge City Council and Anglian Water.

Masterplan team includes:
Landscape architects: LOLA
Plot-testing architects: Bell Phillips, Haworth Tompkins, NOOMA, Feilden Fowles and Alison Brooks Architects
Sustainability and Quality of Life: Useful Projects
Engineering & transport: Pell Frischman
Mobility: Urban Movement
Public Engagement: ECF & Town
Viability: Turner Townsend

The Homes session will be taking place on the Pineapples stage 14.00-14.45 in the Playbox room at the Festival of Place, 2nd July at Boxpark Wembley.

Conservation and creative transformation in Aarhus

Kjellander Sjöberg’s Johan Pitura was one of the invited speakers at the ‘Conservation and Creative Transformation’ conference in Aarhus on 18th March 2025.

The need for expertise regarding conservation and transformation is one of the most crucial topics for the construction industry right now. For several years, the organisation Building Green has held conferences on sustainable development – which have become key places to meet up, discuss challenges, and learn from each other.

This time, the aim was to get a solid understanding of why and when adaptive reuse makes sense, and how transformation can contribute to social regeneration. The conference will offer inspiration for repurposing old buildings while ensuring both quality and financial viability.

The construction industry is in a period of substantial change, where the existing building stock plays a central role in the necessary shift. We can no longer afford to demolish buildings and replace them every time they don’t meet our requirements or needs.

Instead, we must focus on making the most of the square footage we already have. This requires us to get better at investigating and realising the opportunities and potential within existing buildings, and at finding creative solutions to adapt them for future needs.

Conservation, renovation, revitalisation, and reuse are strategies that can breathe new life into existing buildings.

Swedish Architects Declare Climate & Biodiversity Emergency

Kjellander Sjöberg, as part of the Architects Declare initiative, will host the first networking event in 2025 in Malmö. On Tuesday, 4th March from 12-1 pm, the new series of monthly lunch meetings will kick off. These sessions, held simultaneously in Malmö, Stockholm and Göteborg, will take place every first Tuesday of each month for all participant of Architects Declare to discuss the 12 commitments of call to action, two points at a time.

Architects Declare is a network of architectural practices committed to addressing the climate and biodiversity emergency. The initiative was launched in the UK in the spring of 2019 and has now spread to more than 28 countries around the world. Swedish Architects Declare has been signed by over 300 Swedish architectural practices.

Styrmansbron: public opening

This weekend marked the grand opening of Styrmansbron in Malmö – the new pedestrian, cycle, and public transport route to the Varvsstaden neighbourhood. This awaited milestone designed by Kjellander Sjöberg marks a significant step in the ongoing regeneration of the area.

More than just a bridge, Styrmansbron is intended to be a lively new public space by the water and to serve as a vital connection between different parts of the city, while also symbolising Malmö’s dynamic evolution. Where Kockums shipyard workers once cycled to their jobs, residents and visitors can now cross a bridge linking the city’s past with its future.

The opening ceremony was attended by leading people, including Andréas Schönström, chairman of the technical committee of the Malmö City Council; Jesper Göransson, CEO of Peab; representatives from the property and street management office; Hanne Birk from Varvsstaden; and architect Hannes Haak from Kjellander Sjöberg. Each shared their insights on the project’s significance for the city and its inhabitants.

Thank you to Björn Forsberg for the stunning drone photography.

Hartree shortlisted for The Pineapple for Future Place

Our mixed-use masterplan Hartree in Northeast Cambridge has been shortlisted for The Pineapple awards by The Developer and Festival of Place in the ‘Future Place’ category.

For People, City and Planet. Hartree is one of the largest urban developments in Cambridge, driven by engagement, people’s present needs and placemaking. It will provide over 19 hectares of public open space and a significant net gain in biodiversity, thousands of carbon neutral homes, shops, workplaces, education, community and leisure facilities.

Working together with LandsecU+I and TOWN, Cambridge City Council and Anglian Water, we have developed a new, much-needed type of responsive 5-minute place with good streets and quality public realm – open to everyone – connected and rooted in Cambridge.

Thank you to the whole client team, Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service, councillors and the general public and of course, the fantastic team of specialists including LOLA, Useful Projects, Pell Frischmann, Bell Phillips, Carter Jonas, Haworth Tompkins and ECF, with a special mention to 5th Studio, Feilden Fowles, NOOMA Studio and Alison Brooks Architects.

Winners will be announced at the Festival of Place in London, April 2025.

New catalogue about Gjuteriet in Malmö

Kjellander Sjöberg releases a comprehensive new catalogue documenting the process of the award-winning transformation of Gjuteriet for Varvsstaden – the journey from a derelict ruin to a vibrant new social hub in the heart of Malmö.

Gjuteriet is a prominent, listed building in Malmö, a historic player in the shipbuilding industry and a key part of the city’s identity. It was originally built in 1910 as a foundry producing components for ships and bridges. The main approach to the renovation was to preserve the heritage; to leave and reveal as many traces and stories as possible. Material sustainability was the key design strategy, seeking to minimise the use of resources and climate impact through extensive reuse and smart material choices.

Read the catalogue here