kalMar (Se

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IntErvIEW

of the Site’S repreSentative HAnnA olsson, planning architect

presentation of the site within the context of the city development and in terms of strategy

kalmar, one of Sweden’s oldest towns, wishes to maintain its attractiveness in the future. being more or less equidistant from Stockholm, Malmö and göteborg, it is positioning itself as a regional hub. this is being achieved partly by developing linnéuniversitetet as the region’s knowledge centre, and partly by promoting tourism.

How can the site be integrated in the issue of the adaptable city and how do you consider this issue?

the competition site, Södra staden, is earmarked in the strategic land plan as one of five designated areas for future growth. it is the coastal part of an archipelago landscape that has undergone human intervention for hundreds of years, and is again facing changes. the site presents an opportunity to explore the relationship between man and nature. the area could be transformed from a monofunctional zone of detached single family housing to a more diversified community. the plan is to double the size of Södra staden by adding another 1500 dwellings. rerouting the main road opens up possibilities for the creation of an attractive seaside borough. a local centre is also needed. the natural landscape on the eastern part of the road is exceptional, so the brief is to make this nature accessible without consuming it. What is needed is organic, phased expansion to create a unique identity/character, accompanied by new dwelling typologies. the brief is also to explore the interface between man and nature.

At the time of sustainable development coupled to an economic crisis, have you already defined a specific strategy for the urban development of the site?

the vast majority of researchers believe that future climatic change will dramatically affect our societies, amongst other things through sea level rises measured in metres. What today is coastal land will become islands. it is crucial in the future that landscape architecture skills should become much more part of the planning processes than they are today. the seemingly untouched natural landscape here is in fact the product of centuries of cultivation, grazing and logging. this long human interaction with the landscape has blurred the boundaries between natural and man-made land. this must be taken into account in any expansion into this area. the city will expand here, but it must be done sensitively, nurturing the surrounding landscape as people have done throughout history. We have to attempt to predict of the future; what will be tomorrow’s needs and values? how can we create a socially sustainable society? this last question is pivotal for us, since public space is the realm and responsibility of the municipality. We have to create places where people can meet, socialize and interact with each other and their surroundings.

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conservation, densification and complexity

team point of view n´unDo proposes for kalmar an intervention based on no construction, Minimization, reuse and Dismantling. urban development based on density and complexity, prioritising the conservation of the environment and the territory. no construction, out of respect for the territory and areas of high environmental value that constitute the identity of kalmar; Minimization, with criteria of minimal energy, environmental and visual impact caused by new constructions; reuse of existing spaces and infrastructure, through revision and optimisation. Densification of the existing framework without losing the human scale. for a genuinely sustainable city, we would need to consider less energy-hungry systems and greater urban complexity.

jury point of view the proposal focuses on increasing density in the existing areas along the road rather than proposing new developments, making reuse and densification its main tools. the purpose of this choice is to keep the natural environment and wetlands untouched and to occupy the voids present in the urban fabric. the project is very successful in its self-restraint, working for a more sustainable – in other words compact – city, and protecting the ecosystem.

voiDS anD gapS preServation areaS urban roaD car trouble MixeD uSe

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coMplexity of the griD: efficiency | DenSification againSt groWth: SuStainability rinkabyholM_SöDra StaDen _ kalMar_SWeDen “So that our territorieS are truly coMplex, they MuSt accoMMoDate varieD forMS of SettleMent, in accorDance With the regionS they are part. they ShoulD aiM to Self-Sufficiency“ joSÉ fariña

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topography / eStiMateD Sea level / “cellS” / foreStS / tranSportation / builDingS / project

bombelek

team point of view the main idea is based on spatial and social adaptation. the adaptation accommodates to existing conditions and applies know-how to partly predictable scenarios. in spatial terms, the adaptation is seen as compatible with natural conditions, including probable scenarios for change (water level rise): natural hills, existing valleys, prime waterfront; built environment, including changing social structure, a new form of habitat, a new role for communities, new intergenerational relations, new form of communication: development structure, communication and transportation network, service infrastructure. each aspect is specified for two areas, depending on the scope of operations. a voronoi diagram was used as a mathematical method of spatial subdivision.

jury point of view the proposal works with two aspects of adaptability, spatial and social. the project structures territory and communities by means of a geometrical pattern. While almost totally uniform, this pattern becomes produces unique outcomes in each of the different parts of this diverse territory. overall, the project generates an interesting vision of how to live in a natural environment. it begins by simply marking pieces of landscape and then, through gradual appropriation, making stronger connections between the community and nature.

neighbourhooD Site // eco contour / topography / flooDplainS / SettleMent typeS / SeMi – public Space

co fojab, hallenborgS gata 1a 211 19 MalMö, SWeDen t. +46 703642846 Marco.puSterla@fojab.Se WWW.kalMar-europan. blogSpot.Se

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In-between landscapes

team point of view the in-between landscapes connect a new and existing development with the natural landscape. as the water level rises, the character of the landscape will change and over the next century it will gradually become a new waterfront. three unique and strongly defined sectors are created around the landscape-park. together with the existing neighbourhood they form a stronger relationship to kalmar, both spatially and cognitively. the proposal uses boundaries as the key element for negotiating relationships between private and public space. clear boundaries between landscape/neighbourhood, blocks and plots create a framework that can allow different kind of housing typologies and individual buildings, and provide high quality public space.

jury point of view three new, strongly defined neighbourhoods are proposed with several intermediate landscapes amongst them. compactness, mixed use and variability are the model for these neighbourhoods. the new settlements connect with the “do-it yourself” culture and so give the area social diversity. the project works by creating permeable limits, which separate nature from city, water from earth and community from public space.

vieW toWarDS rinkabyholM

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forts of fanaticism

team point of view When national psyches and borders become less interesting and important, citizens start to define their identities and sense of belonging for themselves. this has led to a europe that can be seen as a single large country. With so many people easily able to move and communicate, a new market for people to join physical settlements has been created. Settlements created for a common passion. these new dedicated settlements can be built anywhere in europe, even in the far distant kalmar region. these settlements can also be architecturally more extravagant and utopian than architecture erected to please a local crowd. We have designed five forts where a common passion for a specific subject has been the driving force of the design.

jury point of view the project casts a critical and cynical eye on our society and on the europan competition, in a clever and humorous way leavened with doses of romanticism and fantasy. it could be read as a collection of laboratory tests where the conditions are taken to the limits. but the outcome of this fresh explosion is also to produce fascinating amenities and a range of collective or isolated public spaces, working with virtual relations and, indeed, hyperbolic depictions of our society.

nAdIA MAtEo duquE (eS)

juAn jAcobo gonzálEz

Muñoz (eS) crIstInA doMínguEz lucAs (eS)

fErnAndo HErnándEz-gIl

ruAno (eS) MArtA gArcíA jIMénEz (eS) architectS calle oria 14 28002 MaDriD, Spain t. +34 615193932 MunozDuque@gMail.coM WWW.MunozDuque.coM WWW.lucaSyhernanDezgil.coM

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Kon // Kalmar

team point of view our proposal is built on 10 strategies: 1. increase density of uses on the boundary of the new street 2. locate voids inside the project’s dense green area 3. housing units inserted to minimise land use and maximise density with the construction of slender towers 4. the towers – away from the main street – are approached by reusing existing routes so there is no need to build new streets 5. Several routes intersect amongst the towers 6. Why towers? in response to the brief to minimise the impact of the proposal, the towers provide greater density with a smaller footprint 7. the towers have a wide range of dwelling types to meet the different needs of the future inhabitants 8. compact housing means compact infrastructures and services 9. free ground floor for gardening 10. the proposal will create an attractive seafront with an iconic landscape

jury point of view this proposal uses the typology of towers to make maximum use of the landscape through an awareness of the horizon and minimum land use. the slender high-rise buildings are located in the clearing in the woods, creating an alternative “wood” that complements the existing woodland. the towers are mix-use, but primarily dedicated to housing. at the lower level, a platform creates a sense of community within this individualistic spatial configuration. the process also includes phasing and clean and rapid construction through prefabricated sections.