Elsa Sjögren
Handledare/ Peter Lynch & Elizabeth Hatz Supervisor
Examinator/ Per Franson Examiner
Examensarbete inom arkitektur, avancerad nivå 30 hp Degree Project in Architecture, Second Level 30 credits
12 januari 2018
”Mellanrum”
”Interstitial Space”
Mellanrum Interstitial space
In certain types of complex historical buildings an in-between space is often present. This space is a consequence of something more important such as another room, a necessary movement or the thickness of the wall. This thesis aims to investigate this kind of space, mellanrum, on an interior and an urban scale. Mellanrum means interstitial space in Swedish, but more directly translated mellan means in between and rum means room, this can both mean a room in between something else or something in between rooms. It is a slightly mysterious word and so are these rooms.
Mellanrum is investigated through three case studies Stockholm slott, Rosersbergs slott and Gripsholms slott, the rooms are documented in plan and with a portrait. On an urban scale mellanrum is explored on the small island Riddarholmen in the historical parts of Stockholm, mainly in model.
The main questions this thesis poses are thus:
- Can mellanrum, be a form giver?
- What is it about mellanrum that makes it special?
- Can one create a method to achieve something that holds the poetry of the unexpected and unplanned?
To create new mellanrum the project concludes in the design of a small juridical library on Riddarholmen. Most of the old palaces on Riddarholmen are owned by the Swedish state and are housing parts of the juridical system, mainly courts, the courts needs more space and a way to achieve this is to bring all the existing libraries (five in total) in to one common library.
The method used when designing the library has been to intuitively use the knowledge gained in the research of the case studies. In the case studies, different parameters generated mellanrum but in the design of the library the process has been somewhat reversed, mellanrum has generated the architecture. Mellanrum is about using the unnecessary and seeing the possibilities it possesses, it is a balancing act between order and chaos and about allowing the weird to exist.
Case Study Stockholm Slott
Stockholm slott was designed by Tessin in a quite rigid structure with double height floors facing the city and two floors facing the courtyard, the grand stairs and the smaller ones connecting it all. Mellanrum in Stockholm slott seems to have emerged were this structure was insufficient and over time. The stairs moving in the walls from one floor to another, the passage behind the grand bedroom making it possible to move through the building without passing the primary room and the broken arch passage where the symmetry is broken to get from one room to another.
Behind the Bedroom
Layered Meander Room
Stairs Interacting
Broken Arch Passage
Plan 1:200
Plan 1:200
Plan 1:200
Plan 1:200
Case Study Rosersbergs Slott
Rosersbergs slott is just outside Stockholm. The castle dates back to the 17th century but has been redone and added on over time. Mellanrum in Roserberg are almost made as a stage set with hidden doors, a passage through pillar and hidden stairs taking you unseen from one place to the other. In these rooms little has been done to match the façade thus giving very small rooms very large windows and so on. The rooms are often a negative of the space on the other side.
Double Height Narrow Stair
Hidden Window and Jib Door
Concave and Convex Corner
Moving Through Pillar
Plan 1:200
Plan 1:200
Plan 1:200
Plan 1:200
Case Study Gripsholms Slott
Gripsholms slott was built as a fortress by Gustav Vasa and was completed in 1545 but with some older parts. After Gustav Vasa the castle has been redone and added on in different stages. As the castle was built as a fortress there are towers and the shape is very irregular. Mellanrum in Gripsholm are a consequence of the angles coming together and the wish to make rooms as orthogonal as possible. Another important part of Gripsholm is the construction with a brick cavity wall making the walls very thick and also giving a possibility to hollow the wall in some places, creating stairs, niches, passages etc.
Tower Wall Stair
Intersection of Added Volumes
Inhabiting the Wall
Lorgnetter, Behind the Roof
Plan 1:400
Plan 1:200
Plan 1:200
Plan 1:200
Site Riddarholmen
Riddarholmen is located in the middle of Stockholm and is part of the historical city. The palaces, mostly from the 17th century, are relating to the water rather than the city thus creating urban mellanrum in-between them, not unlike the mellanrum within the case studies. To investigate mellanrum on the urban scale in Riddarholmen models in scale 1:200 were made of the urban rooms there.
The site is down by the water, where there seems to be a cut in the relationship between mellanrum and buildings.
There is a piece of rock sticking out and a strange little tower is connecting the buildings.
Urban mellanrum Riddarholmen, models 1:200
Riddarholmen, Stockholm Site, Riddarholmen Rooms Riddarholmen Urban space towards the water, Riddarholmen Interior urban space, Riddarholmen Analysis site
Norstedts hus 1773, 1857-58, 1882-89, 1891 Publishing house and offices Only house on Riddarholmen not owned by the state.
Schering Rosenhanes Palats 1650 Palace
1697 Royal Registry and National Archives
1778 The Swedish Order of Freemasons Svea Hovrätt (Svea Court of Appeal) Överkommisariens hus 1750 Private recidence 1850 Topfloor added 1885-1930 State archive and library Justitiekanslerns kontor (The Chancellor of Justice office)
Gamla Riksarkivet 1888 National Archives Offices and events
Birger Jarls torn 1530 Fortified tower Added on several times Justitiekanslerns kontor (The Chancellor of Justice office)
Stenbockska palatset 1640 Palace 1772 Bought by the Crown 1754 Svea Hovrätt (Svea Court of Appeal) Gamla auktionsverket 1770 Generalassistence office (pantlånekontor) 3 connected buildings 1750, Current apperance 1860.
1754 Svea Hovrätt (Svea Court of Appeal)
Hessensteinska huset 1630 Palace
1835 (Governement agencies) 1980 Svea hovrätt (Svea Court of Appeal)
Wrangelska palatset 1530 Fortified tower Earlie 17th century palace 1697-1754 Royal Palace 1754 Svea Hovrätt (Svea Court of Appeal)
Riddarholmskyrkan 1280 with several additions throughout history, church and burial church of the Swedish monarchs.
Museum Kammarrättenshus
1805 Kammarrätten i Stockholm Högsta Förvaltningsdomstolen (Supreme Administrative Court) Sparrerska palatset 1630 Palace 1763 Birth center 1776 Swedish navy Högsta Förvaltningsdomstolen (Supreme Administrative Court)
Gymnasiehusen Mainy early 17th century, parts mediveal
Meeting house, school, residence Marknadsdomstolen (Market court)
Library in the building
Gamla Riksdagshuset 1670 Palace 1860 Parliament building 1905 Government agencies Kammarrätten i Stockholm (Administrative courts of appeal) Hebbeska huset 1630 Palace 1865 Ständernas hus Kammarrätten i Stockholm (Administrative courts of appeal)
Gamla Riksdagshuset Kammarrätten libarary
Books running metres of shelves/surface m² large library room 575,5m/165m² reference room 92m/18m² compactus 197m/13m² (depository) Additional space surface m² unpacking/workspace 5m² office 11m² Furniture and functions seating 4 armchairs tables with chairs 4 chairs 1 table borrowing computer 1 search computer 1 return trolley 1 shelf for magazines shelf for newly purchased books
Wrangelska Palatset Svea Hovrätt library
Books running metres of shelves/surface m² total 670m/200m² dividided in 1 large and 3 small rooms)
compactus 200/12m² Additional space surface m² magazine room 25m² office part of the library room Furniture and functions tables with chairs 11 chairs 3 tables armchairs randomly placed 2 borrowing computer 1 search computer 1 return trolley 1 printer
Gamla auktionsverket Mark- och miljööverdomstolen library Books running metres of shelves/surface m² 268m/80m²
Gymnasiehusen
Patent- och marknadsöverdomstolen library Books running metres of shelves/surface m² 100m
Kammarrättens hus Högsta förvaltningsdomstolen library Books running metres of shelves/surface m² large library room 506m/255m² large library room 246m/70m² compactus 220m/15m² (compact depository 620m) Additional space surface m² Reading room/magazine room 25m² 2x office 7+7m²
Furniture and functions tables with chairs 4 chairs 1 table armchairs randomly placed 10 borrowing computer 1 search computer 1 return trolley 1 recycling printer
Court Library Riddarholmen Program
main entrance
deliveries
entrance
entrance
entrance
670m/
670m
Högsta Förvaltnings domstolen 750m Lecture room
2 restrooms 5 restrooms
Archive compactus
unpacking/workspace 15m²
with desk
cloak room
kitchen and break room 20m² 8m²
8m² 8m² 8m² 8m²
Mark- och miljööverdomstolen 268m
magazine room 30m²
6 work/read spaces
6 work/read spaces
6 work/read spaces
2 work/read spaces group roomgroup room
Patent- och marknadsöverdomstolen 100m
Program Courts Library
Most of the buildings on Riddarholmen are owned by the Swedish state and are housing courts and other parts of the juridical system. The courts needs more space but extensions to the old palaces are, for different reasons, hard to do. All the courts have their own library and a way to free space from the palaces could be to move them all to one common library.
Process Models
Some of the mellanrum found in the case studies were built as models in scale 1:50. The thickness of the walls were taken away as a way of reimagining what the primary rooms shaping them are.
Mellanrum model Rosersbergs slott Mellanrum model Stockholms slott Mellanrum model Gripsholms slott
Process Models
Further on models of the found mellanrum were put together in new arrangements creating mellanrum between mellanrum. Findings in these new models were collected in photos. The most interesting things being the relationship between the small and the large, the connections between them and how the light gives them very different characteristics, the unexpected and the layering and also a beginning to create some kind of facades. In this part of the process an architecture generated by mellanrum is starting to emerge.
Mellanrum in-between mellanrum
Rosersbergs slott Mellanrum in-between mellanrum
Stockholms slott Mellanrum in-between mellanrum
Gripsholms slott
Fold out waterfront facade 1:500
Library
The library is facing the water towards south west, the facade is strict relating to the existing buildings but with deviations made, translating the mellanrum within to the facade. A small parc is added east of the building, facing south.
Site model
Siteplan 1:1000
waterfr ont f
acade
waterfr ont f
acade
waterfront facade
Site plan 1:800
Mellanrum Interstitial Space Elsa Sjögren Studio 7 Supervisors: Peter Lynch, Elizabeth Hatz 12
a 1
2
3
4
b
c c
a
1. Magazine room
2. Library - Mark- och miljööverdomstolen 3. Lecture hall
4. Staff rooms
1st floor 1:200 2nd floor 1:200
a b
b
c c
a
1. Library - Patent- och marknadsöverdomstolen 2. Reception and office
3. Foyer lecture hall 4. Café
1 2
3
4
a b
b
c c
a
1. Library - Svea Hovrätt 2. Group room 3. Work room 4. Library - Svea Hovrätt 5. Office
6. Office
1 2
3
4
5 6
a b
c
b
c
a
1. Library - Kammarrätten 2. Meeting
3. Library - Kammarrätten 4. Office
5. Small archive
1
3
4 5 2
3rd floor 1:200 4th floor 1:200
Mellanrum Interstitial Space Elsa Sjögren Studio 7 Supervisors: Peter Lynch, Elizabeth Hatz 14
a
a b
c
b
c
1. Library - Kammarrätten 2. Work space
1
a
a b
c
b
c
1. Library - Högsta förvaltningsdomstolen 2. Office
3. Office
1
3 2
5th floor 1:200 6th floor 1:200
Section a-a 1:100
Section a-a 1:200 Facade East 1:200
Library to the right, creating new urban mellanrum Library to the left, framing the existing Facade detail facing south west
Facade west 1:200 Facade north 1:200
Section c-c 1:200 Section b-b 1:200
3rd floor library interior, model photo 2nd floor lecture hall interior, model photo 3rd floor library interior, model photo
1st floor main stair dividing in two, model photo
3rd floor library interior, model photo 3rd floor library interior, model photo
