Strandängen, Ormhuset

In 2010, Vätterhem invited entries to an architectural competition for a new district just outside Jönköping. Our proposal “Gläns över sjö och strand” won both categories – an overall design concept for the area and a detailed proposal for how the first phase could be developed. The entire district will comprise approximately 1000 homes.

A sustainable district in dramatic natural surroundings

Our vision has been to create an ecologically, socially and economically sustainable district. The proposal includes, among other elements, low-energy buildings, cycle-adapted energy supply incorporating solar collectors, and systems for stormwater and wastewater management. We wish the architecture to make the most of the site’s exceptional location beside Lake Vättern, the dramatic character of the undulating terrain and the distinctive quality of the light. To ensure that Strandängen becomes a district for all, we have also designed a variety of dwelling types, with clearly defined groupings of buildings in different scales.

Close collaboration between client, building and landscape architects

Our building and landscape architects have worked to realise the vision in close collaboration with Vätterhem. Views towards the water, the ravines, the vegetation, movement routes, public spaces and several culturally significant buildings are preserved and highlighted as essential elements of the district’s identity. The area contains valuable natural features, such as a ring of old trees. Overall, there are many fine old oaks that we wished to protect. The water is made more accessible, partly through the addition of a cycle route along the shoreline.

Ormhuset awarded for good architecture

The first phase, the multi-residential building Ormhuset, contains around eighty homes. The building takes its name from the way it curves in response to the site’s topography. We have also echoed the area’s elevation changes in the building’s volume, which varies between three and seven storeys.

A large portal opens the long façade, creating a sightline towards a beautiful old chapel that remains in the area. The apartments have remarkable views over Lake Vättern and central Jönköping.

Ormhuset was completed for occupancy in autumn 2015. Shortly thereafter, the building received Jönköping Municipality’s Urban Design Prize with a diploma in the category “Good Architecture”.

Ongoing development around Ormhuset

Adjacent to Ormhuset are the so-called cultural and street buildings, which unify the district’s urban structure. The area also includes 14 terraced houses, and together with Vätterhem we have maintained a high level of ambition for the architectural quality of these homes as well. The design links the terraced houses to Ormhuset through shifted volumes, while the façade material is replaced with slate.

Inside the terraced houses, we have created open, luminous spatial sequences. The kitchen and dining area form the heart of the home, connected both to the outdoor terrace and, via the staircase, to the upper floor. On the second floor, the visible construction of the sloping roof lends character to the rooms. There is also a roof terrace.

Phase 2 is situated in the northern part of Strandängen. Here we have developed a detailed plan adapted to the character of the area. Towards the railway, we aim to create a buffer zone with a denser, higher, block-like structure. Towards the forest, the scale of the development decreases and becomes more open.

“In the entire area, ‘green fingers’ run through the built environment, and along the central street the intention is that you should be able to experience both nature and architecture”.

The architects