Hornsberg strand-park was created in Stockholm, alongside Kungsholmen’s north-western shoreline as a big living-room as opposed to a pretty park. The project consists of a 700-meter-long waterside pathway on reclaimed land, that allows access to the water via a riprap bank with ladders down into the water at regular intervals. Follow us down by the river in Stockholm.
Stockholm is made up of a smattering of islands connected by countless bridges, so it is obvious that water plays a huge role in day-to-day life for the Swedes. Hornsbergs Strandpark, designed by Nyréns Arkitektkontor in 2012, was awarded the Swedish Association of Architecture’s own price, Sienapriset.
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The well-planned but organic project says a lot about the core principle of one of Sweden’s largest architecture firms. Solution-focused attention to detail comes first. Specializing in the design and delivery of full-scale, complex projects, Nyréns is industry leading within urban architecture and landscape design as well as research and education environments. In 2013, the studio was nominated for two awards at the annual World Architecture Festival in Singapore.
Popular by residents
Three floating piers of different lengths project to take advantage of the light on the water. Pilings driven into the solid rock and bonded to the surface with a large concrete crown extend the area of green space.
In fact, the whole neighborhood seems to have had an urban facelift, as new playgrounds and landscapes filled the entire island. The spot is popular by residents, especially on hot summer days, when they go to the park for a barbecue, to swim or just have contact time with the water. The non-native vegetation in the park was not intended to look like a garden, so it is deliberately of an informal design. Trees and underplanting are placed in dense groups to provide shade and a space between groups or users for events and functions.
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As urban as parks get
Hornsbergs Strandpark is a linear park which edges one of Stockholm’s many islands. As the park stepped down to the water, the level changes were accentuated visually by different ‘earthy’ materials. The first, being a timber wall cut with holes for climbing plants to take over. At the water’s edge, the tiered concrete path was divided by a tapered rock wall.
A more than 700-meter long park with four different parts, including the Moa Martinsson square, the park is as urban as parks get, allowing the resident’s of Stockholm’s Kungsholmen to make the most of its waterside location. Three floating piers is a jetty for sunbathing.
Nyréns has always had multiple head architects, and they change over time. So, there is no such thing as a typical Nyréns building. The firm has created countless public spaces over the years, and though some of them have a lot in common, each project is unique.
Important to environments
On the negative side, access to and from the water is not easy due to the steep riprap embankment and ladders into the water. That being said, I tend to think when people engage with waterfront areas, they’ll become more aware of today’s important environmental issues like river pollution due to changing climate and that architects can make a real impact to prevent. Landscape architecture can make a positive impact on everyday life.
Down by the River in Stockholm, written by Tor Kjolberg
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