Monday 21 May


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May | studio | REAL visits Stockholm

This year's annual study trip took the office to Stockholm, the home of the internationally renowned Hammarby Sjöstad.

An initial afternoons walk from Vasastaden, through Norrmalm and across into the old town on Gamla Stan provided a good introduction to Stockholm's character for the following days visit to Hammarby.

Hammarby Sjöstad was originally envisioned as the 2004 Olymipic village, however when Sweden's bid was unsuccessful the development was still implemented providing what is now widely considered the benchmark for sustainable development on this scale. The 200 hectare site is located outside Stockholm's inner city boundary, however, it takes an intentionally highly urban rather than sub-urban form with a planned final population of 20,000, with 9,000 apartments and 20,0000sqm of commercial.

The architecture is uncompromisingly contemporary; however its subtle references to traditional themes, particularly colour pallets, give a sense of continuity and belonging. The retained natural landscape of the parks and waterfronts provides a highly successful foil to the built form. The sites proximity to Hammarby Sjö lake and a canal provides extensive waterfront where boarded walkways snake out on the water to private piers/havens set within the reed beds. This informality of the landscape contrasts very successfully with the formality of the urban form.

As part of our visit we had a presentation on the education centre resource centre associated with the development, an important element in the development's success in being reportedly twice as environmentally efficient as 'normal' new build in the city. The scheme envelops strategies for amongst other things extensive public transport, recycling of both water and waste and low energy consumption. A further presentation on the Envac underground waste system incorporated within the infrastructure highlighted one of the means to realise these strategies.

A short boat ride away North on Södermalm there has been a considerable amount of housing regeneration, which was interesting to see. The proceeding journey by foot through Gamla Stan and back up into Vasastaden placed the development in its context.

The following days visit to Skeppsholmen, the museum island, prior to the return journey allowed detailed study of the city in the form of models within the Museum of Architecture. The Museum of Modern Art then provided a high art end to the study trip displaying the best in modern art on this small island, a suitable end to a trip to a city that so seemlessly combines urban scale, nature, tradition, sustainability and strong design all within its island setting.

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