Kjellander + Sjöberg designed the ‘Torget’ in Norrköping, Sweden.
Description from the architects:
The site is at the intersection of one of Norrköping´s main streets with its south side facing the city park along the water. Norrköping has a long history of textile manufacturing, with an industry which has formed vast parts of the central city into a historical preservation industrial landscape – the central parts predominated by industrial heritage buildings, distinctive building volumes in brick.
K + S starting point for the assignment was to investigate how the project could be sustainable, not only in the often used sense, but on a social dimension and on a city scale. How can the project offer the citizens a public dimension, and give something back to the city. Central to the development of K + S thinking was to create a building that interacts with its environment and is clear in a wider context. The industrial surrounding buildings as well as the bank palaces have a solitary expression based on a characteristic form with a certain presence in the urban environment. The building makes use of some of this neighbouring symbolism and visibility.
There is a close connection between the street and the ground level activities of the block. This is a continuation on the codes of the “stone city”, the 19th century city. Facing this side, the building is straight along the street. The park side the building’s undulating exterior creates a small informal public space.
The building´s wedge form is given by the shape of the site, which is cut at an angle.
The overall massing is a fusion of two volumes into one. A wider four apartment block is connected to a narrower three apartment block. This solution maximises the potential of the site. All apartments have at least two free sides, allowing views over the river and the park as well as providing excellent day-light qualities. The bedrooms are pared down to the minimum, and the bathrooms and hallways are compact. In exchange, the living area has been given more space than usual, spreading out diagonally in each apartment. It includes the kitchen and spaces articulated for dining and for lounging, but most of the room is unassigned, general space, a social stage to claim and to use—an interior plaza. Balconies are directed towards this side to catch desirable sunlight during the day. The recessed midsection is a way of hollowing out the block, drawing a maximum of daylight into the building. It also provides the building’s residents with a shared public space. It´s an opportunity for meetings between the residents and the surroundings. Should the residents prefer to withdraw from the life of the city, there’s a spacious roof terrace.
The exterior of the building has a deliberate textile, almost woven quality to it. A brick façade with unevenly burned stones continuously wraps around the whole block. The rounded corners emphasize this notion of a whole solid block. A play with window frames in different metal treatments of bronze, brass and silver adds to this aspect.
| Firms | Kjellander + Sjöberg |
| Location | Norrköping, Sweden |
| Project Architect | Ola Kjellander, Stefan Sjöberg, Mi Inkinen, Lena Viterstedt, Kalle Zetterholm, Måns Tham |
| Area | 4,300 m2 |
Torget,
