Exterior Perspective. Visualization by Sang Yeun Lee. Image Courtesy of Hanna Johansson, Juras Lasovsky and Filip Lipinski

A team of three young architects based in Copenhagen has unveiled their proposal for a new cultural center in Skellefteå, Sweden. The Möjligheternas Hus (House of Opportunity) extends the existing city grid with new “culture streets” at ground level, giving rise to a thriving central “living room” of arts, hospitality, and culture. The design was developed as part of an open competition, in which the first-time collaborators placed second against a pool of established international practices.

The 22,700 square meter project encompasses a large auditorium, a library, an art hall, as well as a restaurant, hotel and conference space. The team; Hanna Johansson, Juras Lasovsky and Filip Lipinski; said that it was critical that each of these programmatic zones retained its own clear identity, while still coming together to form a cohesive building. Their scheme fulfills the programmatic requirements of the brief, whilst also embodying the judges’ key design criteria; scale and flow. 

Interior Perspective. Visualization by Sang Yeun Lee. Image Courtesy of Hanna Johansson, Juras Lasovsky and Filip Lipinski

Centrally located adjacent to Möjlighternas Torg, the city’s main square, the building had to reconcile the open space at its doorstep with the urban context bordering its remaining sides. It does this by stepping down in scale as it approaches the square, with each “step” presenting a distinctly separate programmatic function. These boxes, which array from a hotel, concert hall, theater, library and gallery at the forefront, maintain their own identity through their distinct separation whilst appearing open and approachable from multiple entry points.

Design Drivers. Image Courtesy of Hanna Johansson, Juras Lasovsky and Filip Lipinski

The multitude of entrances give rise to informal meeting places and countless paths to circulate through the building. Each of the separate programmatic zones are accessible at ground level, enabling visitors to explore each of the spaces without having to infiltrate the upper levels. The design has the meandering quality that mirrors Skellefteå; a city with a comfortable atmosphere and strong pedestrian connections. 

Ground Floor Plan. Image Courtesy of Hanna Johansson, Juras Lasovsky and Filip Lipinski

The cultural institutions; Västerbottensteatern Theatre, Guest Stage, City Library, MAN Art Hall and Skellefteå Art hall; as well as a hotel are aligned on one side of a long foyer, creating a “cultural street” that extends the city grid. In their report, the judges commended those who were able to successfully execute this urban connection, as the north-south pedestrian route is of critical importance. 

Programmatic Features. Image Courtesy of Hanna Johansson, Juras Lasovsky and Filip Lipinski

The volumes were opened up at the southwest and northwest corners to facilitate these new streets. At roof level, each of the volumes have been faceted in a way that allows the internal light to emanate across the city. The architects said that this would create a “civic and cultural beacon,” whose simple yet elegant form is highlighted against the Skellefteå skyline. The sculpting of the roof line also serves to create a terraced outlook, where each of the volumes retains views of the surrounding context. 

The scheme was developed in response to an open, anonymous competition run by Skellefteå Municipality, which was won by White Arkitekter. Möjligheternas Hus presents a powerful alternate option to the competition brief, which can be viewed in full at Sveriges Arkitekter.

• Architects: Hanna Johansson, Juras Lasovsky and Filip Lipinski
• Location: Stationsgatan 8, 931 31 Skellefteå, Sweden
• Area: 22700.0 sqm
• Project Year: 2016
• Photographs: Courtesy of Hanna Johansson, Juras Lasovsky and Filip Lipinski

News via Hanna Johansson, Juras Lasovsky, Filip Lipinski

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© Alex Filz

• Architects: noa
• Location: 39010 Saltaus, Bozen, Italy
• Area: 85.0 sqm
• Project Year: 2016
• Photographs: Alex Filz

© Alex Filz

It is all about the apple in the ‘Apfelhotel Torgglerhof’ in Saltaus in the Passiria Valley in Northern Italy. The Applesauna and the wellness area are part of the farm ensemble. For noa* network of architecture the starting point and key element of the design was the circle of the apple throughout the year: The new sauna- and wellness area forms the period of repose.

Plan

Plan

Dive Into Nature
“It was essential to us to use the charm of the surrounding garden and nature as an interpretation for the architecture … The new sauna totally melts with the surrounding landscape.“ Christian Rottensteiner

© Alex Filz

Section

© Alex Filz

The entire sauna area is dedicated to the repose period and is diving into the nature in the truest sense of its word. The spa area consists of a sauna with changing rooms and a shower as well as a relaxing space. The outer structure of the wellness building is totally green and is seen as a hill, which evolves into a mystical and intimate space at the interior.

© Alex Filz

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Ahead of this weekend’s symposium “THE DEBATE”—which will take place in Kotor, Montenegro and will present the results of the Project Solana Ulcinj for the national and international audience of the KotorAPSS (Kotor Architectural Prison Summer School)—we present an interview with Bart Lootsma, co-curator of the Montenegro Pavilion at the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale.

The exhibition “Project Solana Ulcinj,” co-curated by Lootsma and Katharina Weinberger and commissioned by Dijana Vucinic and the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism, features four proposals for the re-use/re-purposing/re-programming of a former industrial site in Montenegro. With an eye on not only sustainability, but also natural and economic viability, four firms proposed different spatial strategies to transform what Lootsma calls an “unreal man-made artificial and abstract landscape.” 

Lootsma explains: “What we do is make alternative plans that are neither completely preservationist and also do not propose to build huge hotels on the site, but open up different opportunities for sustainable projects—sustainable projects in terms of nature and economy.”

“What I want visitors to take away is to realize that on the one hand, nature is not something that is opposed to culture or technology, but actually technology and culture are part of nature,” he continued. 

To learn more about the individual proposals for the Solana Ulcinj, see “Montenegro Pavilion at 2016 Venice Biennale to Investigate One of Europe’s Largest Post-Industrial Landscapes.” ArchDaily’s full coverage of the 2016 Venice Biennale can be found at http://archdai.ly/2016biennale.

Montenegro Pavilion at 2016 Venice Biennale to Investigate One of Europe’s Largest Post-Industrial Landscapes
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KotorAPSS Forum 2016: RE-USE Symposium and THE DEBATE (Project Solana)
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