Skogsbacken

The proposal involves densification in a Stockholm suburb with six new low-rise tower buildings containing 120 apartments and a preschool. The area is surrounded by a large forest area, which creates an opportunity to densify the spaces between the existing buildings. The new point buildings, with pitched roofs, are placed along the ridge line bordering the two surrounding blocks.

Three of the buildings sit on steep terrain and can be integrated through careful blasting, preserving exposed bedrock surfaces close to the buildings and patching them together with reinforcing grass. The other three buildings stand on less steep terrain. These, along with one of the first three buildings, are accessed via a new side street that ends with a new turning area at the edge of the ridge.

A new garage with 52 parking spaces is accessed from this cul-de-sac. The volume of the garage is integrated into the terrain and becomes part of the ridge’s profile. The new buildings are positioned as close as possible, corner-to-corner with the existing buildings to minimize issues of overlooking. Elsewhere, we have attempted to maximize the distances between buildings.

The area is dominated by 1950s architecture in rich earthy tones, while later additions feature a lighter colour palette, which we reference in the proposal. We envision brick facades that make use of the sunny ridge-top location and create distinct shadow patterns through relief brickwork. A new two-storey preschool has its access and service entrance facing an existing preschool across the street and features a generous yard that receives sunlight from morning to afternoon.