Stockholm’s architectural scene has gotten its fair share of criticism for its lack of innovative initiatives, and rightly so – but lately it seems that something is starting to happen. Several interesting projects are breaking ground in Stockholm.
Architectural office BIG’s mountain-like house in Gärdet and the renovation of Nationalmuseum by Gert Wingårdh are two of the more interesting ones, and they have been joined by a new housing block designed by seven young architects that is being planned in the Södra Hammarbyhamnen area.
The houses will stand next to Hammarby Sjöstad, which itself was considered innovative when it was completed just over a decade ago, but according to the plans, the new block will be the complete opposite of the generic houses of Sjöstaden.
“HG7 will give a creative injection to the housing market,” says Oscar Engelbert of Oscar Properties, the developer behind the project. “Variety is something that we often come back to, and Stockholm needs more of that. With six young, innovative architects, each building their own house and a landscape architect who gets a free hand to create the outdoor public space and a park, we hope to offer a whole new type of housing area.”
Before taking on HG7 (the HG stands for Hammarby Gård) Oscar Properties has gained a reputation for converting old industrial spaces, such as an old straw hat factory on Kungsholmen and a leather factory in Järla Sjö, into apartment buildings.
This theme continues into the new project at Södra Hammarbyhamnen. The architects – Johannes Norlander, Arrhov Frick, Dinell Johansson, Andreas Martin-Löf, Hultman Part Vogt, Jägnefält Milton and Johan Paju – have been asked to connect their designs with the area’s old industrial past. From the 1920s to the 1970s, Hammarby Gård was an important international harbour; for instance, General Motors shipped car parts to Hammarby from the US and had Cadillacs assembled here.
The six blocks are all different, but at the same time, they share a visual language with clear connections to the modernism of the 1930s. Based on the sketches, the interiors are all chic and hip – shades of grey, concrete slabs, large windows and oak floors.
Architecture aside, Engelbert also promises to create a functioning environment with services to suit everyone from singles to families, such as a spa, a deli and even bikes to borrow.
