You have added a new link to your collection You have deleted a link from your collection
;
    • 25 March 2020

      Our Proposal Blooms on the Banks of Gothenburg's Riverfront

      The mixed-use project is designed to breathe new life into Gothenburg’s growing Lilla Bommen neighborhood

    • We are pleased to be named one of four shortlisted teams in Vasakronan’s competition for a mixed-use urban hub in Gothenburg. Our proposal, named Växa (Swedish for ’grow’), was developed with partners Kanozi, Mandaworks, Eliath, and SWECO, and combines residential, office, co-working, and social space in a block that spills out to Gothenburg riverfront.

      The 37,500 m2 hybrid timber construction is inspired by the organic patterns found in nature. The visual language of these organic, repetitive structures, combined with the orthogonal structure of urban grids, frames a blooming urban heart in the city’s growing Lilla Bommen neighborhood.

      The proposal is composed of tightly linked timber framed modules that spiral upwards in a flattened helix. The form loosely fits the profile of a typical pitched roof home, with select modules carved away to maximize the reach of daylight in the center of the block. The open ground level encourages people to move freely through the space; as you move up through the building the core is hollowed to create a light well and frame an outdoor public space at the building’s heart.

      “The urban living room (at Växa) becomes the heart of the house,” says Vaskronan. “…and is designed as a landscape with paths and plateaus from the bridge to the quay.”

      The Lilla Bommen area was once an industrial part of Gothenburg, but with shipping and harbour activity moving to different areas, the neighborhood has begun to grow in new ways. With just a 15 minute walk between the Kromet site and central station, the area promises to be an ideal hub for life in the city.

      “The proposal is named both for its natural inspiration and for the potential we see on site,” says Henning Larsen Partner Søren Øllgaard. “We are inspired by the chance to help shape the future of Gothenburg into one that is socially, environmentally, and economically sustainable.”

      The winning team is expected to be selected later this spring, and will continue to develop their design throughout 2020. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2021. (update 27/04/2020: We are pleased to be named second place winners in this competition.) 

      Learn more about the project on Vasakronan's website (in Swedish.)