Annedalsterrassen

In Annedal in northern Stockholm, Kjellander Sjöberg won a parallel commission for the block structure of three freestanding residential buildings for three developers. The project spans a total of 150 apartments, commercial spaces on the ground floor towards the street and shared green gardens between the buildings.

Folds creating dynamics, giving a distinct direction to the buildings

The plot is situated on a slope between a waterway bordering Sundbyberg in the north and the new local park to the south. In the original master plan the plot was intended for six tower blocks but in order to make the most of the site’s topography and to create a continuous garden around all three houses, KS chose to merge the six buildings to form three parallel, twice folded six-storey buildings. The resulting shape in plan gives the buildings a distinct direction that accentuates and enhances those inherent in the plot.

The landscape in focus

The buildings’ folded volumes create a continuous outdoor space with an undulating motion where the rock face at the rear is connected to the street by a sloping landscape. The buildings allow the environment to participate and be in focus as an interesting contrast to the more compact block configuration prevalent in the area.

Colour diversity and varied facades

The plan configuration creates interesting vistas from the apartments and helps to reduce noise from the nearby railway traffic. The buildings’ façades have three colour variations of the brick, the mortar and different patterns of the brickwork designed to be visible from a distance, which is the project’s way of handling the larger scale. Details such as the materiality of the insides of the balcony niches distinguish the individual buildings. The buildings have recessed balcony niches with generous glazing and light glass handrails so the outdoor space virtually resembles an indoor space, offering a pleasant climate and shelter all-year round. The top floors have varied facades, flush with that of the rest of the building at some points but otherwise set back, thus creating roof terraces.