Creating a meeting place for the future in Malmö
Av Peter Nilsson
Publicerad Wednesday 21 January, 2009.
The City of Malmö’s competition for a new part of the city next to the city tunnel station at Triangeln attracted many renowned firms of architects such as Henning Larsen, Nyréns and Schönherr Landscape.
The task was to design a number of new urban plazas around Triangeln, which is being transformed from a quiet area by the side of the major roadways to a central hub where 37,000 train passengers will pass every day.
The jury chose White’s contribution “Open stage”, as the winner. The jury’s explanatory statement was: “Open stage presents a well thought-out holistic solution that covers a multitude of functions. The proposal is rich in content and detail, but is still flexible and invites a sense of discovery and social gathering in a safe, accessible environment …. This holistic grasp of variation will enrich both the new Triangeln hub and Malmö’s city centre as a whole.”
Landscape architect Niels de Bruin at White’s office in Malmö describes the thought process behind the winning proposal:
“We see the area around Triangeln’s station as an open stage for everyone to share. The various areas will work during the rush hours of the day and during calm Sunday mornings. A single floor of massive, beautiful concrete slabs and common details like lighting and seating connect the areas. The vision is an elegant floor filled with everyday luxury.
“At Konsthallstorget we’re creating an open, surveyable area. The square will have a flexible floor with 2×3 m concrete slabs. The floor should be easy to transform and replace for exhibitions or other events. A large concrete slab (25 m in diameter) will be placed on the square that the public and art gallery will be able to use. It can be used as a stage or just to sit on. When darkness falls the giant slab will be transformed into a luminous plateau.”
Team: Niels de Bruin, Anna Eklund, Gustav Jarlöv, Ebba Matz (artist) and Martin Sundberg (pictures).