Archives

Kvarteret Lagern

Shooting stars elevate Råsunda
Landscape
Parks, Play & Public Spaces, Squares & Streets
Client: Solna Stad
Location: Block Lagern in Solna
Assignment years: 2017-2022
Photographer: Jansin & Hammarling

Kvarteret Lagern, which now occupies the site where Råsunda football stadium stood ten years ago, has been transformed into a sequence of public squares for those who live and work in the area. An important and striking feature of the development is the artwork Stjärnskott by artist Sophie Tottie.

The park promenade meets the square – a calm and welcoming environment.

Kvarteret Lagern consists of a park promenade and a square that together form a central part of the new residential area. The park, which was built first, runs parallel to both Frösundaleden and Tvärbanan. The ambition was to create an inviting, calm and welcoming environment with abundant greenery, varied flowering plants and carefully selected trees, enhancing both the aesthetic qualities and biodiversity.

“We wanted to create a beautiful place where people passing through are encouraged to stop for a while. They should be able to sit down on a bench and enjoy the sun and their surroundings for a moment,” says landscape architect My Ekman at Tengbom.

The water feature in the square invites play.

Screens of laser-cut sheet metal, with climbing plants growing across them, help define spaces and thereby bring the scale of the area down to a more human level. Carefully positioned lighting creates a sense of safety, while the timber furniture and paving contribute to a welcoming atmosphere. This contrasts with the hardness of the modern buildings and infrastructure surrounding the site.

A star-studded artwork in Lagern

The sequence of squares includes a central square with art and a water feature, steps, walls and planting, as well as a playground. The artwork Stjärnskott forms a drawing that extends across the public space and consists of small paving stones in different types of stone, with integrated texts, water, stars and a bronze sundial.

A star can mean many things. Perhaps a football star from the Olympic Games played at Råsunda IP in 1912. Or a film star such as Greta Garbo, who once made films here, at Filmstaden in Råsunda. These associations are reflected in the artwork’s message, embedded in the undulating stone paving.

The southern part of the sequence of squares in Kvarteret Lagern.

The artwork Stjärnskott was developed by artist Sophie Tottie and executed in collaboration with architect Aron Fidjeland. Stjärnskott was coordinated with Tengbom and constructed by Solna stad in collaboration with Fabege.

A square should be able to accommodate many functions while also responding to every mood.

Rain gardens for cloudbursts

The northern section of the public-space sequence consists of a streetscape between a new residential block, a school and a preschool. Here, there are walls, seating areas and planting.

“In some of the planted areas, we have created rain gardens that collect stormwater during cloudbursts. This is expressed in a playful way through an open channel made of painted steel.”

My Ekman, Tengbom

At the same time, the soil beneath the public space has the capacity to retain large volumes of water. Planting and trees benefit from the rain gardens and help absorb precipitation while contributing to a better local microclimate.

The passage between the square and local tram in Kvarteret Lagern.

Contact person

Jenny Söderling

+46 8 412 53 95

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Sala backe Pavilion

Leafy shade in steel
Sala backe Pavilion
Interior Design, Landscape
Parks, Play & Public Spaces, Product Design, Squares & Streets
Client: Nola
Location: Uppsala
Project year: 2024-2025
Type of project: Pavilion for outdoor environments
Photographer: Jann Lipka

Create shade without trees. Okay, we said. Sala backe Pavilion occupies nine square metres of perforated steel somewhere at the point where product design crosses over into architecture.

Anders Diös torg is part of Östra Sala backe. The former power line corridor between Sala backe and Årsta is now being transformed into an urban environment with housing, parks and squares. In phase two, we designed the landscape, with the square forming a link between the neighbourhoods. The design draws inspiration from the 1950s – from the pattern of the paving to the lighting and the small house-like forms in the square.

Beneath the square lies a less visible condition that shaped our work. Large water reservoirs make it impossible to plant trees here, challenging the need for shade, places to rest and spatial definition. Sala backe Pavilion emerged from this very contradiction. A kind of canopy had to take shape in another way.

Sala backe Pavilion

Like a child drawing a house

The form is archetypal. Almost as though a child’s first drawing of a house had grown up and become a sculpture. The architecture of the Swedish welfare-state era is present in its expression, connecting it to developer Anders Diös, whose legacy is an important part of the site.

As well as providing a place to sit in (and on), the pavilion also becomes a clear marker of identity. A small jewel that defines, reinforces and blends into its setting all at once.

“We wanted to create something that feels contemporary yet timeless, with an identity of its own. The house form is almost childishly simple, but the perforated pattern in the walls and roof creates a sensory lattice of light and shadow. Like the illusion of a leafy canopy. It becomes a small room within the larger urban space,” says Linus Fridén, interior architect and head of product design at Tengbom.

Hard steel, soft light

The durable steel is both electrogalvanised and powder-coated, allowing the pavilion to withstand weather, wind and everyday wear. The material makes it possible to work freely with form and colour. And here, it is the golden hue that makes all the difference.

Sala backe Pavilion

Small in scale, significant in impact

The pavilion measures 3 x 3 metres and rises 3.5 metres above the ground – a compact yet powerful structure. It is both furniture and meeting place, shelter and vantage point. Above all, it is a reminder that small architectural gestures can make the greatest difference to a place.

“The boundary between furniture and architecture is fascinating. Sala backe is a product, but spatially it functions as architecture. The perforations in the panels spark curiosity, and each opening frames a new part of the surroundings, creating a sense of narrative and wonder,” says Linus.

Sala backe Pavilion Sala backe Pavilion

Sala backe in everyday life

Sala backe Pavilion was created as part of a courtyard space where safety and well-being are central. And it shows. Neighbours stop here to talk, children slip in and out through the perforated pattern, and passers-by find a moment of rest. It works equally well on a sunny morning or a late summer evening, reminding us that good design does not have to be large to make a difference.

Contact person

Linus Fridén

+46 133 55 533

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Trädgårdsgatan, Skellefteå

From strategy to social street
Landscape, Urban Development
Parks, Play & Public Spaces, Urban planning
Client: Municipality of Skellefteå
Location: Skellefteå
Commission years: 2025–2026
Collaborators: Arctic Design Center, Nordvestor, DIÖS, Skelleftebygg, Society Expo 2026 and others

How can social sustainability become something more than a heavy policy document? In Skellefteå, Tengbom is working together with the municipality and local stakeholders to explore how social values can become a concrete part of everyday urban life. On Trädgårdsgatan, a full-scale prototype is now being developed where ideas around safety, community, and inclusion are tested directly in the real environment.

Trädgårdsgatan Skellefteå
Situationplan over Trädgårdsgatan

The project is part of Society Expo 2026 and builds on a longer process involving workshops, urban walks, and pilot projects where residents, property owners, municipal officials, and community organizations have jointly explored the city’s social needs. The goal has been to develop methods and tools that can be integrated into the municipality’s long-term urban development processes.

On Trädgårdsgatan, we are translating this work into a temporary and vibrant urban environment with greenhouses, a stage, pergolas, play environments, seating areas, and green meeting spaces. Here, social sustainability takes physical form through places that encourage people to stay longer, meet one another, and use the city in new ways.

” The project has given us new insights into how social values can be integrated early in urban planning. Through the pilot projects, we have been able to test ideas in real environments and gain a better understanding of how public spaces are used and experienced,” says Harriet Wistemar, Municipal Architect at the Municipality of Skellefteå.

Social sustainability in practice

Skellefteå is a rapidly growing city where new housing, workplaces, and public environments are reshaping the urban landscape at a fast pace. At the same time, questions regarding safety, participation, and access to shared meeting places are becoming increasingly important.

At Tengbom, we led the development of a methodology for socially sustainable living environments, where social values are analyzed and connected to concrete spatial qualities. Focus areas included health, equality, safety, inclusion, and community.

“Social sustainability must become something tangible that can be actively integrated into everyday work and actual urban planning. It is about understanding how people use and experience their environments – and then developing concrete solutions that respond to those needs,” explains Ulrika Signal, Lead Planning Architect at Tengbom.

The work is based on Socially Sustainable Living Environments – Tengbom’s methodology for value-driven urban development. Here, analysis, dialogue, and physical design are interwoven. Through workshops and site analyses, the project team identified which social values already exist in different places and which need to be strengthened.

” We need to build cities where people not only live and work, but also feel a sense of belonging and participation. That is where social sustainability begins.”

Ulrika Signal

A street for many

The prototype on Trädgårdsgatan is organized around different “gardens” with varying functions and target groups. There is a cultural garden with a stage and space for events, an activity garden with playful installations and greenhouses, as well as calmer environments with communal tables, pergolas, and sunlit seating areas.

Many of the functions are free of charge and designed to be used by people of different backgrounds and ages. The ambition is to create a street that feels open and welcoming to many, rather than programmed for one specific target group.

” What makes temporary prototypes so interesting is that they allow us to test ideas in reality. We can observe how people use the spaces, what works well, and what needs to be further developed,” continues Ulrika Signal.

The installations become a shared platform for dialogue about how the city’s public environments can be improved in the long term.

Tools for future urban development

For the Municipality of Skellefteå, the project is not only about Trädgårdsgatan itself, but also about implementing strategic methods for social sustainability in future urban development processes. The experiences gained can be applied to everything from detailed planning to the development of residential neighborhoods, schools, and public spaces.

” The experiences from the pilot projects will become an important foundation for our continued urban development work in Skellefteå. The lessons learned will be carried forward into future work with public environments and meeting places,” says Harriet Wistemar.

During Society Expo 2026, Trädgårdsgatan will serve both as an exhibition and as a testbed for Skellefteå’s urban environments. Here, research, urban development, and everyday life come together at full scale.

Contact person

Ulrika Signal

+46 708 27 46 45

Related

Henriksdalskolan

Home-like
Architecture, Interior Design, Landscape
Education
Client: Vellinge Municipality
Location: Vellinge
Completed: 2025
Photography: Mads Frederik

How large can a school become without feeling large? What happens when a preschool to grade 9 school is divided into smaller buildings, courtyards, and pathways? At Henriksdalskolan in Höllviken, architecture, interior design, and outdoor environments shape a cohesive everyday life, rooted in traditional building culture and village structure. And with a sense of safety throughout.

When we were commissioned to design a new school in Vellinge, the goal was clear: the school should be a safe and welcoming place. Both during and after school hours. A municipal framework for increased safety in and around school environments became an important starting point in the design process.

— Our goal was to create environments where students and staff feel safe, included, and involved. Using our methodology Socially sustainable living environment, we were able to define and follow up on social values throughout the entire process, says Ellen Persson, lead architect at Tengbom in Malmö.

Dividing the large

So how do you make a larger school building fit into a small-scale context? The detailed development plan provided a long, linear building volume to work with. We chose to break it down and divide it into smaller buildings and clearly defined parts, allowing the school to feel more like a cluster of buildings than a single large one.

The materials, in turn, anchor the building to its place. Brick and wood reference the surrounding environment and help the building settle naturally into its context.

The design draws on the Scanian building tradition with a courtyard structure of four wings. This creates sheltered courtyards with protection from the wind and clearly defined spaces for staying and gathering. At the same time, they open toward the flat landscape, making the site easy to read and navigate.

Learning in motion

All learning environments were planned with flexibility in mind. The spaces were designed to evolve over time and adapt to different pedagogical needs without losing clarity. Circulation routes, niches, and shared areas function as natural meeting places for teaching, collaboration, and rest.

— Each classroom, group room, and break area has its own identity, yet they are tied together by a common thread in materials, light, and proportions. This creates environments that feel both cohesive and varied, says Kajsa Larsson, project architect.

A schoolyard for everyone also includes our flying companions

Materials with meaning

We carefully selected materials and colors to create a calm, durable, and legible environment. The foundation consists of natural materials and muted tones.

Three thematic landscape elements — beach, heathland, and pine grove — recur in the color palette and material choices. This gives each part of the school its own character while maintaining a coherent whole.

— We are particularly proud of the wood paneling and how it contributes to a robust, sound-absorbing, tactile, and beautiful indoor environment, Kajsa continues.

Creative schoolyard – also for bats

The client’s intention was for the schoolyard to become an integrated part of the community. No fences or walls exclude, everyone has access to the yard after school hours.

An ambitious lighting concept was developed to ensure the schoolyard felt safe even in the evening. But adjustments were needed. Existing bat colonies risked being disturbed by the planned lighting, so the concept was adapted to suit the bats’ sensitive navigation abilities. A schoolyard for everyone also includes our flying companions.

One step ahead throughout the construction phase

It is during construction that many aspects are put to the test. Decisions must be made quickly, and new questions arise along the way. Being involved throughout the entire construction phase and working proactively ensured a highly successful result.

— By being present on site weekly, we were able to address questions immediately and, through close dialogue with the client and contractor, find solutions that were both cost-effective and well-functioning, concludes Kajsa Larsson.

Contact person

Josefin Klein

+46 40 641 31 18

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Ämbetsbyggnaden Gamla Hovrätten

Court out, school in
Architecture, Cultural Heritage, Landscape
Accessibility, Building Preservation & Restoration, Education, Parks, Play & Public Spaces
Client: Statens fastighetsverk
Location: Jönköping
Photographer: Tengbom
Heritage consultant: Anders Franzén, Länsmuseet
Awards: Category winner in Good building conservation, Jönköping Urban Design Award 2025

Once a closed government building in central Jönköping. Today a modern upper secondary school with architectural traces from the 1870s. So how do you avoid conflicts between contemporary technical requirements and historical values? Ämbetsbyggnaden has the answer.

When the Göta Court of Appeal and the National Courts Administration moved out, the culturally significant 19th-century building stood ready for new chapters. The ambition was clear: without erasing the building’s identity, it would be transformed into an upper secondary school. The formerly enclosed office and archive environment would become an open setting for teaching, activity and shared spaces. Naturally, with high demands for functionality, accessibility and a well-functioning everyday environment for students and teachers.

With great anticipation, we embraced the challenge.

Preserve as far as possible!

Ämbetsbyggnaden’s character as a “house in park” guided the entire process for both our architects and landscape architects. The exterior was preserved as far as possible, while necessary additions were made to ensure safe access for all. A ramp, new stairways and evacuation solutions were carefully designed to merge with the façade and feel inherent to the site.

House in park

Inside, visitors encounter interiors bearing traces of the 1940s renovation. The entrance hall, stairwells and corridors with plastered ceilings and fixed bookshelves have been left untouched. Here, students move between classes in spaces that still tell the story of the building’s former life.

— The starting point was to preserve the exterior as far as possible, says Gunilla Gustafsson, lead building architect for Statens fastighetsverk at Tengbom in Jönköping. At the same time, the building must function as a school today, which means making the right interventions in the right places.

Thoughtful solutions behind the scenes

Transforming a listed building into a school involves numerous considerations. With the school’s — and self-evident — requirement for good air quality, ventilation became one of the greatest challenges. To avoid extensive interventions in floor structures and exposed ductwork, air-handling units were placed in the basement and attic. The building’s solid brick structure contributes to a calm acoustic environment, complemented by carefully integrated acoustic measures.

— There is often a clash between modern technical requirements and historical values, Gunilla explains. Our task has been to find solutions that work in everyday use without taking over the rooms.

The park that returned

Outside the building, the southern part of the site has been transformed and given new significance. Today, Hovrättsparken once again unfolds here, restored with inspiration from how the site appeared around 1870. For students and teachers, the park is an outdoor room for breaks, conversation and study. For the city, a green space once again accessible to the public.

— The upper secondary school gives generations of students the opportunity to discover the site’s history and use the park in their daily lives. In addition, the former office parking area has been removed and the park restored to its original condition with new tree and shrub plantings, says Gunilla. The park restoration was carried out by landscape architects Anders Brandstedt and Linda Grimheden at Tengbom in Stockholm.

“A textbook example of restoration and adaptation of a listed building for new use. A careful and highly competent renovation of the Göta Court of Appeal archive building from the 1860s, where the 1940s interior forms an intriguing point of departure for the school’s interior design. The transformation of the park contributes to the urban realm, and the elegant exterior additions have been executed with great respect for the original.”

Jury statement, Jönköping Urban Design Award 2025

Ämbetsbyggnaden winner of the urban design award

The work on Ämbetsbyggnaden demonstrates how a listed building can be adapted to contemporary needs with respect, care and precision. It also shows how architecture can provide young people with an environment that both functions well and feels meaningful to inhabit.

— The positive collaborative climate within the consultant team contributed to the excellent final result, with my colleagues Jakob Ideskog, Saskia Jäkel and Hanna Ernlundh forming the core of the team.

Ämbetsbyggnaden is certified according to Miljöbyggnad Silver and was category winner in Good building conservation at the Jönköping Urban Design Award 2025.

Contact person

Matt Patterson

+46 36 440 90 81

Related

Public Parklet

Gray becomes green in the city
Landscape
Parks, Play & Public Spaces, Residential environments, Squares & Streets
Client: Tengbom, later donated to the City of Stockholm Traffic Administration
Location: Stockholm
Commission year: 2015
Project type: Temporary parklet
Photographer: Frida Möller

Hello, Public Parklet. How can we demonstrate, in a concrete way, how simple means can be used to create a greener, more sustainable and pleasant urban environment? This was the question posed by some of our landscape architects and urban planners in the spring of 2015. During a seminar at the Stockholm office, they were to present “Green Retrofits”, strategies for transforming grey infrastructure into green infrastructure, and wished to illustrate, in practical terms, how much such interventions can contribute to the public realm.

From these reflections, an idea emerged. What if we could create a prototype of a micro-park? A meeting place for people in the city that simultaneously purifies stormwater and contributes to increased biodiversity? One that improves air quality and offers citizens a place for recreation and rest?

Micro-park on a parking space – Public Parklet

The team worked intensely for a few but productive weeks. On the day of the seminar, it stood assembled outside the entrance to the office at Katarinavägen 15 – “10 smarta kvadrat 2.0”. A micro-park on a parking space – a so-called parklet. Our guests and passing Stockholmers shared the seating in the temporary park, enjoying the sun, each other’s company and the unexpected vegetation in an otherwise rather grey and underused streetscape.

Public Parklet with stormwater management – the first in the world?

By combining ambitions for a more ecologically and socially sustainable city, we can, with simple means, create green spaces that contribute both to increased biodiversity and to encounters between people. Our parklet prototype is also, as far as we know, the first in the world to offer a solution for stormwater management. The idea is based on the functionality of so-called green streets: a swale filled with vegetation along the pavement edge. The delay created within the swale reduces runoff volume, while the vegetation captures environmentally harmful particles, resulting in smaller and cleaner stormwater discharges.

“Many people don’t realise that much of the inner city still relies on a combined stormwater and sewage system. This causes untreated sewage to be released into Lake Mälaren during heavy rain,” says planning architect Fredrik Legeby. “By introducing fixed urban biotopes as a connected system, we could create real benefits. For both the environment and the people living in the city.”

In fact, solutions of this kind may be closer in time than we think

Fewer cars create opportunities

Parking areas that perform ecosystem services. Does it sound utopian? In fact, solutions of this kind may be closer in time than we think. The needs of our streetscapes are changing as attitudes and habits around car use shift. Car pools, “car-to-go” services, rental bicycles and other transport alternatives are increasing. At the same time, technological development is advancing towards smaller and self-driving cars. Fewer and smaller vehicles can reduce the pressure on the city’s parking spaces, which can therefore be given new functions.

Parklets, small public spaces and micro-parks built on parking areas were introduced as a concept in San Francisco in 2010. Today, there are hundreds of them. Several cities around the world have since developed manuals for anyone interested in building a parklet, with guidelines for design, safety and maintenance.

“Sweden is lagging behind when it comes to this kind of sustainable thinking. We believe that micro-parks of this kind are a fully viable idea for the City of Stockholm. We would be happy to carry out pilot projects”.

Fredrik Legeby and Shira Jacobs

The landscape and urban design teams in Stockholm came together to prepare “10 smarta kvadrat 2.0”. They installed it at Katarinavägen 15 in June 2015, and later donated it to the City of Stockholm Traffic Administration.

Contact person

Jenny Söderling

+46 8 412 53 95

Related

Tjejtrappan Helsingborg

More equality with VR and girls
Landscape, Urban Development
Parks, Play & Public Spaces, Squares & Streets
Client:
Commission year: 2018
Location: Helsingborg
Collaborators: Rise, Raoul Wallenberg Institute
Awards and nominations: Nominated for the Gender Equality Award at the Swedish Concrete Awards 2018

How can the urban planning process become more inclusive? And how can the architect’s methods be adapted to encompass the experiences, ambitions and ideas of more groups? With Tjejtrappan, we explored how VR can be used to co-create the city together with a group of girls. Unaccustomed to development plans and sectional drawings.

A public place dominated by one group of people, while others feel frightened, excluded or unsafe there, is neither fair nor sustainable. Yet through architecture and transformed design processes, inclusive environments can be created. In the project “Where are the girls”, we worked together with the City of Helsingborg and fifteen girls from year eight to examine how equality can be embedded in the urban fabric. But designing a new urban space is no simple task, even for an experienced planner – so how could we develop more inclusive processes?

Imagine your favourite public place. Who do you think feels uncertain or excluded there?

Perceived design through VR

During a prototyping process together with the girls, we selected three places they wished to transform. They analysed the sites and devised their own proposals for how the areas could become more inclusive and equitable. Together, we built the girls’ ideas in 3D and enabled the group to experience their own design in Virtual Reality (VR). In this way, they could take part in an iterative, rapid and exploratory workflow to adjust and refine the proposals and narratives they developed. The project resulted in one of the proposals – Tjejtrappan – being realised at one of the chosen locations.

Excluded group gained influence

The project gave an excluded group the chance to influence parts of the city they had hardly dared to visit. To create more inclusive and equitable spaces, we must challenge established patterns of thought already at the planning stage. With the help of VR, we established a quicker dialogue and a co-creative process within the project. Understanding of the proposals increased when participants were able to experience them both as designers and as users. Through our VR method, we also clarified communication within the project. Both within the design team and for the users of the stair. This built engagement and saved time throughout the process. The Tjejtrappan project is part of JämtJämlikt – a certification for equitable public environments.

Contact person

Ulrika Signal

+46 708 27 46 45

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Sundholmen

Exotic vegetation on a Swedish island
Landscape
Residential environments, Squares & Streets
Client: AARSLEFF
Location: Limhamn, Malmö
Commission year: 2011
Project type: Residential courtyards and internal streets
Photographer: Malin Ingemarsdotter

On the island (Sundholmen) in Limhamn, we created three residential courtyards and internal streets adjoining newly built multi-family buildings. We also produced complete construction documents on behalf of Aarsleff.

The island of Sundholmen lies in the district of Limhamn in the southwestern part of Malmö municipality. During the first half of the 20th century, various industrial activities were conducted here: shipyards and aircraft production. Two office buildings and one factory building remain today, now housing the local school, a convenience store, and a health and fitness facility. The northern part of the island began to be developed with multi-family housing in the early 1990s, while the southern part was built in the late 1990s. The island is also known for fishing, particularly in the northern section.

Our commission here involved creating residential courtyards and internal streets in connection with the newly built multi-family buildings. After completing the design, we were also commissioned in spring 2011 by Aarsleff, who would be responsible for the groundworks, to prepare complete construction documents.

Here today, figs and katsura grow — species one does not often encounter in Sweden

Sea-adjacent concept with exotic vegetation on Sundholmen

We developed a concept featuring exotic vegetation framed by corten steel in sharply defined lines and edges. The sea-adjacent location, with courtyards constructed on deck structures, presented particular conditions for the project. We created an engaging base structure through generous timber decking with planting beds at varying heights. The striking corten steel is present throughout much of the custom-designed equipment, for example in benches, tree grilles, and trunk guards.

The courtyards are sheltered from weather and wind. This creates unusually favourable conditions for the exotic plants we selected in close dialogue with experts from SLU Alnarp. Today, you’ll find species like figs and katsura thriving here – a rare sight in Sweden.

Contact person

Josefin Klein

+46 40 641 31 18

Related

Strandängen, Ormhuset

New housing in harmony with nature
Architecture, Landscape
Housing, Parks, Play & Public Spaces, Residential environments
Client: Vätterhem/Skanska
Developer: Vätterhem
Location: Outside Jönköping
Project type: Residential area, apartments and terraced houses with private ownership
Year of commission: 2016
Photographer: Felix Gerlach

At Strandängen, four kilometres from Jönköping beside the shores of Lake Vättern, a new residential district is taking shape. The first phase, Ormhuset and its surrounding environment, was awarded Jönköping Municipality’s Urban Design Prize 2015 in the category “Good Architecture”. In the forthcoming second phase, block structure and natural values are central.

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

Contact person

Matt Patterson

+46 36 440 90 81

Related

Skogskyrkogården staff building, Mönsterås

In fertile pine forest
Architecture, Landscape
Offices, Parks, Play & Public Spaces
Client: Svenska kyrkan
Location: Mönsterås
Year of completion: 2023
Photographer: Felix Gerlach

In the quiet pine forest just outside Mönsterås, Skogskyrkogården gained a new staff building — a restrained response to practical needs, shaped in dialogue with the landscape and the chapel’s white silhouette. A place for everyday work, and for calm.

When the old staff building had done its time, Mönsterås-Fliseryd parish seized the opportunity to create a new workplace. At the same time, they wanted to strengthen the overall character of the cemetery. Their goal was to build something modern and functional — yet still in harmony with the surrounding landscape.

The new building is designed as an enclosing volume around a sheltered glade – a robust, light-filled courtyard for the practical aspects of the work. The concrete walls bear the imprint of the timber formwork, a tactile memory of the site. The green roof follows the gentle contours of the ground, allowing the building to merge with the landscape.

“The building was meant to remain subordinate to the chapel, yet stand firmly in its own presence. We wanted the house to become part of the forest, not a break in it says.”

Johan Kjellnäs, Project architect

Calm for work and mind

Against the backdrop of the pine forest, the small woodland chapel glows white – the main building that, despite its modest scale, commands presence. The new structure accommodates staff facilities, workshop, and storage, as well as a more public section connected to the ceremonial area. Throughout, our architecture is guided by the people who work here – their need for efficient spaces and a safe, pleasant work environment.

The adjacent ceremonial area is a new addition, conceived as a dignified and simple outdoor space for farewells. Here, forest and building meet in a quiet choreography.

“We designed a special screen for the ceremonial area that frames the space and opens towards the tall pines. The gaps in the slats catch the light and let visitors rest their gaze in the forest” explains Amanda Berggren, project landscape architect.

Nature first

Our architects and landscape architects worked closely together throughout the process, united by the intention that the building should reflect the rhythm of the forest – in the vertical rhythm of the timber façades, in the varying heights of the surrounding treetops, and in the interplay of light and shadow.

The glade, the upward-reaching, warmly greying pines, the softly undulating terrain, the heather, the bilberry undergrowth

“The untouched nature is powerfully present and provides a meditative, peaceful backdrop” says Johan. Around the entrances, visitors encounter a clear yet understated design. Shrubs and ground cover plants reinforce the character of the site without disturbing its tranquillity. The inner courtyard has a more functional and pared-back character.

Practical and dignified

With the new staff building, Skogskyrkogården in Mönsterås has gained an addition that embodies the essence of the place. It now offers both a space for work and a setting for ceremony – the practical and the dignified, united in one context.

In 2024, the building received the Mönsterås Timber Architecture Prize. The award highlights the importance of creating architecture that cares. Not just for the natural environment, but also for the people who use it. Ultimately, it’s a recognition of thoughtful design.

Contact person

Elin Lönnbom

+46 708 79 99 12

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