Beddinge Sands

Located east of Trelleborg in southern Sweden, Beddinge Sands is a stone’s throw from the Baltic Sea where a sparse sandy pine forest meets agricultural landscape. Kjellander Sjöberg has designed the co-housing scheme, comprising 75 homes in four blocks, in collaboration with the developer We Construction. The first phase is now under construction. Beddinge Sands will deliver a wide variety of typologies ranging from terraced houses to multi-family houses with both larger and smaller apartments, and in combination with shared amenities, a restaurant, a shop and other community spaces, it presents an alternative housing offer on a smaller scale for various types of households and ages. Communal spaces, meeting places and gardens will be shared and maintained by the residents together. The old local gem – the Rotundan dance hall – will take on a central new role as a community centre and will become the hub of the neighbourhood’s social interaction.

Landscape and history

Beddinge’s long, white sandy beach has been a popular destination since the early 1900s, both for recreation and beach life. The pine forest was planted to prevent sand drift and create a pleasant microclimate. Over time, the landscape gradually developed its characteristic light and sparse character, as sand dunes found their way between the trees. The existing settlements along the coast consist partly of small fishing communities with modest houses placed close together, and partly of the more recent scattered holiday homes.

Three typologies for families and single person households alike, for holidays or permanent living, providing various combinations that allow residents to experience a blend of city and countryside.

Rich urban fabric: a village cluster

The scheme consists of four blocks in three typologies: Strandkvarteret (Beach block), two Trädgårdskvarteren (Garden blocks) and Ängshusen (Meadow houses). The volumes are low and dense, with integrated private outdoor spaces and shared communal courtyards. Informal paths and alleys wind between the buildings, connecting the beach road in the south to the agricultural landscape to the north. The intimate human scale, the placemaking and the paths interlink the scheme and provide a character that harmonises with the local historical heritage and configuration of the site.

Three typologies for a mix of different households

The three typologies of Beddinge Sands offer a broad variety to provide for a mix of households, lifestyles and ages. The homes come in a range of sizes and layouts, suitable for both families and single person households, for holidays or permanent living, providing various combinations that allow residents to experience a blend of city and countryside.

 

Strandkvarteret (Beach block)
The block comprises three narrow buildings with gables facing the sea, with two homes each. Between the houses are private gardens and common footpaths. The ground floor unit has its own garden at grade while the apartment above is a duplex with a roof terrace. The focus is on smaller, efficient spaces with generous patios that in a way reflect life in a coastal village where the outdoor qualities are just as important as the indoor ones.

Trädgårdskvarteren (Garden blocks)
The two Trädgårdskvarteren consist of 23 terraced houses forming common courtyards. Each has two floors, its own small private garden and a roof terrace. The patio is enclosed and intimate, connected to the home itself, whilst the roof terrace has an open view in all directions. Inspired by the traditional Scanian villages, the buildings are directly facing onto the street. Using slight recesses and angled building lines, small front gardens are created in front of the houses to provide space for growing vegetables, bicycle parking or a small sitting area to drink morning coffee.

Ängshusen (Meadow houses)
To the north, the three Änghusen have views of the sea, the beach and the agricultural landscape. The buildings are taller, with four floors and generous linear balconies. There are six corner units on each level, all dual aspects, offering views in two directions. The ground floor units are duplex apartments with double height living rooms.

A village that welcomes social interaction

The social life in Beddinge Sands revolves around Rotundan, former dance hall which is being converted into an active community centre run by the residents. In the middle of the building is a central, flexible common space with an open fireplace for everyday activities, leisure and parties. Surrounding it is a number of smaller rooms with complementary uses: two guest apartments, a shared kitchen, a woodworking workshop, changing rooms and a spa with sauna connected to an outdoor pool. The communal facilities provide the homes with functions that are too space- or resource-intensive to have in everyone’s own home. They are instead used collectively and become a reason to meet. Next to Rotundan is the old amusement palace Granhyddan, which houses a local restaurant and café.

Architecture and materials

The point of departure for the architectural expression of the coastal beach village is the local building tradition of whitewashed stone houses. Each home has a basic form but together they create a rich and varied neighbourhood with niches, offsets, corners and small protected places along the streets. The roofscape of the neighbourhood is expressive and provides an individual character to each house.

Public realm and surfaces

How the public realm and surfaces are designed for public, shared and private uses forms a central strategy in the project. Inspired by both the informal street structure and the character of Scanian fishing villages, uninterrupted sight lines and diagonal paths towards the beach have been reinforced. The area has vegetation and paving types belonging to the site – the beach and the coastal forest – with different types of grasses and herbs that thrive in sandy soil, low rose bushes and rose hips, pine trees, etc. Porous permeable materials, such as gravelled streets, have subtle differences between carriageways and footpaths. Simpler paths employ softer materials with greenery allowed to grow in.

The buildings share a common set of materials, the application of which varies between the different building types. The materials are concrete cast against formwork, light limestone render, untreated wood and sheet metal that over time changes from a grey-green colour to a rusty copper.