The glass roof

Old and new coexist harmoniously at Hotell Villa Dagmar. The hotel is connected to the newly refurbished Östermalms Saluhall through a new passageway. The glass roof of the courtyard was designed to link an old confectionery factory from 1910 with an Art Nouveau façade from 1888 and a contemporary extension in hand-laid brick.

Our task was to respect the historical character of the buildings from their respective stylistic periods, while creating a roof that preserved the outdoor atmosphere of the courtyard, home to a restaurant and bar. The goal was a meeting place to be enjoyed all year round.

Indoors yet outdoors through parametric design

Architectural challenge of the glass roof

The major architectural challenge was that the eaves of the historic block varied in height. The simplest solution in this situation would have been to build up to the highest shared point and place the roof there. However, that would have made the structure too tall, obstructing the views of nearby residents and leading to dissatisfaction. And, likely a lengthy appeal process. A costly risk for the client.

Parametric design resolved the structure

The solution was a glass roof constructed using digital parametric and generative design. What do we mean by that? It is a process in which the computer searches for the optimal form based on defined parameters. This approach made it possible to generate a structure entirely adaptable to the varying eave heights, resulting in a lower roofline. In this way, residents could keep their view. The parametric design made it possible by optimising each angle individually and reducing each unique glass section. The vision of a gently undulating form with two peaks thus moved from concept to reality.