Snøhetta and White Arkitekter transform an old quarry in Sweden into a sustainable housing development
Snøhetta and White Arkitekter transform an old quarry in Sweden into a sustainable housing development
Construction broke ground Wendelstrand residential development which will transform an old quarry outside Gothenburg into an environmentally friendly and socially sustainable neighborhood. Developed by Next step group and designed by Snøhetta and White Arkitekter, together with Tham & Videgård, Andreas Martin-Löf Architects and Liljewall, the project will include 1000 homes of different typologies and a range of amenities. The first step of the development debuts with the Snøhetta-designed Lakehouse, a common building that blends into the landscape.
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Wendelstrandsbebyggelsen aims to reshape the area disturbed by quarries and proposes “an interplay between new buildings and existing nature”. The housing typologies vary from townhouses to villas and apartments, along with a variety of public amenities. Tham & Videgård’s contribution is a timber version of the Vertical Village schemewhile White Arkitekter is responsible for the design of the apartment buildings.
Very often, when we talk about sustainable architecture, we add sustainability at a late stage, but in this case, with Wendelstrand, we start talking about sustainability and what sustainability parameters we can use. In this way, it is fully integrated from day one. – Jacob Sahlqvist, architect & office director at White Architects.
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Lakehouse designed by Snøhetta will form the background for the common life in the new neighborhood, with a restaurant, a café, shops, event rooms, offices and a gym. The design follows the topography of the place, rises from north to south and continues the park through its roof landscape. The project prioritises local materials with high bound energy and low carbon dioxide emissions, which led to wood and stone as the dominant materials.
Our ambition was to create something that surpasses a conventional district and breaks with traditional housing typologies. Lakehouse is designed to invite people in, on and around the building. You do not have to enter the building to be a part of it. We hope that Lakehouse will be an important catalyst for creating enthusiasm, attractiveness and cohesion in the area and becoming an inviting destination for the entire region. Furthermore, we believe that this project can be a model for innovative and sustainable housing development with a focus on wood as a building material and thus reduce the carbon footprint, not only in Sweden but throughout the Nordic region – Rikard Jaucis, senior architect at Snøhetta.
Construction of the Lakehouse should be completed in 2024, along with one-fifth of the homes. Plans are underway to include a preschool and a school within the Wendelstrand development.