LAYERS OF SITE

BASE MAP

Site

LAYERS OF SITE

Buildings Fields Forest Water

YEAR BUILT

2010s 1960s 1950s 1940s 1850s

OWNERSHIP OF THE LAND

Municipality owned Privately owned

PARKS AND BUS STOPS

Parks

Playgrounds Bus stops

SERVICES IN RELATION TO SITE | SCALE 1:10000

LAYERS OF SITE

©Lantmäteriet [i2012/893]

©Lantmäteriet [i2012/893]

PROCESS SKETCHES

Pre-school Schools

Fast food/street food Restaurants

Essential commercial Commercial, enterprises Sports

Gyms

Entertainment

Heritage sites

Churches

Allotments

Gardens

PARKING LOTS | 750m2

60x12,5m2

PARKING GARAGES | 950m2

3 units

ROADS/PATHS| 4620m2

3,5*820m 5*350m

COURTYARDS | 1200m2

3x400m2

3x100m2 (included in courtyards)

GRAVEL WALKS | 1500m2

3*500m

ORCHARD | 500m2

Apple trees, plum trees, cherry trees

FLOWER GARDEN | 250m2

Roses, perennials

OUTDOOR CULTIVATION | 1600m2

Potatoes, onions, beetroot, iceberg lettuce, herbs

USERS

The main active users are the residents of the dwellings. The people living in the community would be a mix of different people with different backgrounds and ages. However, the main group would be families with children and elderly peo- ple.

The garden would engage several people. Garden- ers taking care of all the cultivation and plants and people selling things in the café. The allotments would be used by people interested in cultivation or people wanting to learn more about it. Schools could use the garden in an interactive way to edu- cate children about nature during all the seasons.

Temporary or passive users of the programme would be passersby, park-goers , exercisers and dog-walkers.

“More resting areas and seating.

A fikaplace would also be nice to have here.”

“It is close to nature (‘Naturnära’) but still central. Almost like on the countryside.”

“The built environment should be integrated with the nature.”

W S

same site. Thus, the strategy is an alternative way of using the land in a sustainable way without tak- ing anything away from the dwelling qualities. The question on how to design for social sustainability lies in the space between.

bility:

SITE OF INTEREST

The chosen site already has established services nearby. It is close to the city center and has lots of space. It has a rich history of farming, which corresponds to the proposed programme.

SITE STRATEGY

At the moment the area is used for recreation. The site itself is quite passively used. People pass next to it but mostly just look at it.

By exploiting this site with respect to the surrounding landscape, the site can turn into an interactive site where people learn about the nature and enjoy it. It is about giving back to the environment what you take from it.

When planning the area it is of great importance to take into account the already existing dwellings and the views they have towards south and the river. The section above shows the relation between the views from the dwellings and the building heights.

Flows of site Views

Sun path (summer solstice) Sun path (winter solstice) Proposed access points

THE 5 KILOMETER CITY

The municipality strives for growing the city of Umeå within a radius of 5km from the city center.

This results in a compact city with short distances between functions, leading to new developments appearing in urban areas close to nature.

EXPANDING CITY

The city of Umeå is expanding rapidly. The housing shortage leads to a demand of new developments within the city.

AMENITIES AND SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE New communities need local services like schools, shops and public transport, at an early stage.

VOICE AND INFLUENCE

Involving local communities in decisions that affect their lives throughout the stages of new developments is vital for new communities to thrive.

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL LIFE

New communities need shared spaces, shared rituals and support to build social networks.

SPACE TO GROW

Communities and their residents should have space to grow to develop a distinctive character and to shape the place so that it better meets local needs.

©Lantmäteriet [i2012/893]

SITE SECTION | 1:1000 PROGRAMME | SIZE COMPARISON

PROGRAMME DIAGRAM

STORYBOARD SITE CATALOGUE

DWELLING AREA

ROADS / PATHS COURTYARDS PARKING GARAGES PARKING LOTS VILLAS ROW HOUSES COMMON

SPACES

PLAYGROUNDS

GARDEN AREA

GRAVEL WALKS OUTDOOR CULTIVATION ALLOTMENTS MEADOWS ORCHARD FLOWER GARDEN CAFÉ COMPOST

GREEN HOUSE

SEMI-DETACHED HOSUES 2 STOREY ROW HOUSES

Surrounding area 1950s | 69 | 900m2/plot

Surrounding area 2010s | 19 | 430m2/plot Söderslätt 1940s | 64 | 900m2/plot

Tavleliden 2008- | 61 | 900m2/plot

Djingis Khan, Lund, 1970s | 256 Kingo Houses, Helsingør, 1950s | 49 Site | 0

Berghem 1950s | 67 | 900m2/plot

Rosendals trädgård, Stockholm, 1860s Aspegrens trädgård, Jakobstad, 1700s

CONCEPTUAL COLLAGE | COMMUNITY

CONCEPT DIAGRAMS | DEVELOPMENT

MANIFESTO

Individuality and independence seems to be of more and more importance for people in today’s society. Residents are being isolated and anti-social behaviour increases. Houses are designed to meet each individuals’ privacy while we are turning away from our neighbours. Loneliness is becoming the new national disease, as we fail to connect to our fellow human beings. Community and interdependence are words of the past. Now, should be the time to change that.

(RE)CONNECTING PEOPLE WITH PEOPLE

-not isolating. Architecture is about framing life.

It creates space and depicts the made from the unmade. Architecture is the bridge between the social life and the physical environment. We should strive for interaction between people and foster the sense of community when developing new areas.

TAKING A STEP BACK

and two steps forward. Sweden overstate the independency of the individual and fail to see how loneliness becomes more and more spread out within the population. We should revisit the past and learn from how people took care of each other. After all, we are social creatures.

SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY FIRST

then environmental and economic sustainability.

Priority has been given to environmental and economic sustainability in the context of planning new housing and communities. As a result, we have few practical solutions on how to create sustainable communities. Planning for social sustainability can ease the likelihood of future social problems, which means it pays off in the long run.

GROWING THE CITY SUSTAINABLY

-not only growing. The city of Umeå is expanding towards the goal of 200 000 inhabitants by 2050. This leads to new developments in urban areas close to

nature. We need to use the space efficiently regarding quality higher than quantity to keep the qualities of the areas.

CONNECTING PEOPLE WITH NATURE

instead of taking it away. Developing a new area with respect to the surrounding landscape can turn a passively used site into an interactive site where people learn about the nature and enjoy it. It is about giving back to the environment what you take from it.

This project is a suburban housing village that seeks to question the values of individuality and

explore what architecture can do to foster the sense of community in an expanding city. In relation to the dwellings a garden will be located, offering possibilities for learning, relaxation or buying locally produced vegetables or food. The work within the project corresponds to the development plans of the municipality, however it is completely free standing.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS:

1. How can architecture foster the sense of community?

2. How can architecture support sustainable and modern living? (holistic living. people-people, people-nature, consumption-production)

CENTRAL COURTYARDS

The houses are clustered together around central courtyards. This provides every house with a close access to their social community as well as to the nature.

MIXED TYPOLOGIES

The development consists of four different housing types. This ensures a varying distribution of residents within the community which creates a diverse and mixed neighbourhood.

SHARED SPACES

Every common courtyard across the development has its own community house. These can be used as laundry rooms, event rooms, sauna, workshops, tool sheds or for sharing meals.

NARROW STREETS

The tight and intimate clusters are split up by narrow pedestrian-friendly streets. This gives the homes a possibility of extending into the block of the development and children can play freely.

INTEGRATED NATURE

The landscape is tying the community together by

green arteries entering the community. Small parks,

gardens and playgrounds create small pockets

within each cluster.

CONCEPTUAL COLLAGE | GARDEN CONCEPTUAL COLLAGE | GARDEN SITE PLAN | SCALE 1:1000 DESIGN DECISIONS | MASTERPLAN

VEHICLE CIRCULATION

The community is accessed from north. The parking houses are located partly inside the sloping hill.

DISTRIBUTION OF HOUSES

The 2-storey houses are placed to the very north of the development. Houses are spaced for adequate solar access.

PRIVATE GARDENS

Every house has its own private garden. The houses located to north also has a small garden in the front of the house towards the street.

COURTS

Every common courtyard consist of a cluster of approximately 20 houses. The development is planned for future growth.

©Lantmäteriet [i2012/893]

PLAN | 1:500 PERSPECTIVE | PARKING AREA PERSPECTIVE | COURTYARD

MASTERPLAN SECTION A-A | 1:250

MASTERPLAN SECTION B-B | 1:500

A

A B

B

PLANS

ELEVATION | STREET INTERFACE AND MATERIALITY

PERSPECTIVE | STREETSCAPE

ROW HOUSE | 47m2

This is the smallest unit of all the housing typologies.

With its one bedroom, the 47m2 row house apartment fits for single people, young couples and older couples. The development consists of 13 row house apartments.

SEMI-DETACHED HOUSE | 76m2

The semi-detached houses consisting of two bedrooms are the most common typology within the community. This dwelling fits for families with 1-2 children. There are 24 semi-detached houses within the development.

2 STOREY ROW HOUSE | 93m2

The 2 storey row houses have three bedrooms and fits for families with 2-3 children. The top floor hosts all the bedrooms and also has a balcony towards south. 22 units of 2 storey apartments are found in the community.

VILLA | 100m2

The largest of all housing typologies is the villa, which has four bedrooms. The villa is large enough to host a family of 4-5 people. The community consists of 6 villas in total, which makes it the most uncommon of all types.

5. Living room 6. Bedroom 7. Storage

5. Living room 6. Bedroom 7. Storage

5. Living room 6. Bedroom 7. Storage 8. Laundry 9. Toilet 10. Balcony

5. Living room 6. Bedroom 7. Storage 8. Laundry 9. Toilet

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