Renovation and Renewal of Harbour Area in Helsingborg

IN

DEGREE PROJECT THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT, SECOND CYCLE, 15 CREDITS

STOCKHOLM SWEDEN 2020,

Renovation and Renewal of Harbour Area in Helsingborg

WEI WANG

KTH ROYAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Degree Project

M.Sc in Urbanism Studies 2019-2020 School of Architecture and the Built Environment

KTH | Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm, Sweden

Renovation and Renewal of Harbour Area in Helsingborg

Wei Wang

Supervisor: Mats Lundström

CONTENTS

Introduction City Descripation Site Descripation

The City's Development H+ Project

Urban Context Structure Plan Visions and Goals SWOT Analysis Strategy

Master Plan Zooming In References

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The project site in Helsingborg is located on a pier in a harbour area in Öresund, in Sweden’s southernmost province of Skåne. Helsingborg is Sweden’s eighth largest city. It is a densely built urban city, with a large former port area under redevelopment.

The project site covers an old warehouse building - Magasin 405, and its surrounding plot. The goal is to re-use and re- purpose the warehouse into a attractive meeting place in the city, while adding building volumes and public space to accommodate public activities and housing units within the project site.

The new proposal is aiming to revatalize the waterfront area of Oceanhamnen (the Ocean Harbour) and help connect the segregated neighbourhoods ’North’ and ’South’ (”Norr” and

”Söder”) of the city centre. The renovation of Magasin 405 will make the waterfront district, and the city as a whole, more dynamic.

INTRODUCTION

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Study Area Design Area Core Area

CITY DESCRIPTION

SITE DESCRIPTION

Helsingborg is a town and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Skåne, Sweden. Helsingborg is located at the narrowest part of the strait of Öresund; only three and a half kilometres across the sea from Denmark. The location, at the narrowest part of the Öresund strait, has long entailed a busy fairway. Apart from the presence of the strait, the city’s geography is dominated by the ridge Landborgen, which runs along the water through the city.The city is strategically located at the narrowest point in the strait, and the fortified tower castle that once sat on the heights of Landborgen long constituted one of the Nordic region’s foremost strongholds.

Helsingborg has since been living in peace after Scanian War (1675–1679), and during the 19th century became one of Sweden’s most important industrial cities and ports. Helsingborg currently has a population of 145,000. By 2035 the city is estimated to have grown by 40,000 new residents — to meet demands, 1,000 new housing units are being planned annually. The growth should inspire and allow for more people to develop their ideas here, and the goal is an attractive and sustainable place for creativity and competence.

The project site in Helsingborg is located on a pier in a harbour area in Öresund. In the fifteenth century, the port of Helsingborg was a small wooden pier. Since then, it has gradually been expanded beyond what was previously the shoreline to today be completely on land reclamation masses.

This harbour has a new detailed development plan (H+ Project) including housing that is currently under construction. The site will also host a city fair in 2022 known as ”H22”.The design site contains an old warehouse building and its surrounding plot, as well as remnants of a time when the port was bustling with life from vessels loading and shipping off.

THE CITY'S DEVELOPMENT

H+ Project

H+ is Helsingborg’s largest urban renewal project in modern times.

By 2035, the old port and industrial areas will develop into a mixed productive area of the city, hosting more people, businesses and offering new meeting places. Helsingborg aims to create an optimal climate with creative meeting places and diverse environments — for talented and resourceful people as well as businesses to thrive and develop their scopes.

The expansion of the harbor continued and it came to dominate the city's coastline throughout the 20th century until the housing fair H99.

In 1991, the northbound railway track was dug down, which made it possible to transform the North Harbor into a residential area that was inaugurated at the housing fair.

At present, harbour activities at the Helsingborg port are entirely ferry- related. The industrial port with its cargo ships has relocated farther south in the city. This has freed up large parts of the former harbour area.

When Helsingborg grows, a large part of the future developments will be allocated within the old harbour.

The winning competition proposal for H+ Project 6

Structureplan for H+ Project

Oceanhamnen, where the project site is located, is the first district in H+ to be built.

The proposal for Oceanhamnen is to be an urban archipelago.

The water and the city will be in notable proximity, and the new district, within the existing piers’ expanse, will interact with the existing port harbour operations.

City districts within H+ include Oceanhamnen, Universitetsområdet (’The University Area’), Husarområdet (’The Husar Area’) and Gåsebäck which are all to be linked together with the city centre and surrounding districts. In the area, a blue-green stretch is planned to tie together the districts and create areas for recreation and meetings. By 2035, the four districts are planned to accommodate 5,000 homes, office premises, schools and other municipal services, retail and restaurants, and a number of interior indoor and exterior outdoor meeting places. It should be appealing, comfortable and smart to live within a short distance of everyday services.

Oceanhamnen District-'Canal City' 7

1. Knutpunkten

2. Vehicle Marshalling Area 3. Stadsparken

4. Oceanpiren 5. Magasin 405 6. Oceanhamnen 7. Oslopiren

8. Sewage Treatment Plant 9. Existing bridge

10. Campus Helsingborg

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SÖDER NORR

Study Area Design Area Core Area

URBAN CONTEXT

Most of the design area consists of what is planned to become the Oceanhamnen – a new neighbourhood within the urban development project H+ , and was previously mainly been used predominantly for port operations and shipbuilding. It is located by Öresund, next to Helsingborg city centre and

Knutpunkten(1)

and is owned by the City of Helsingborg.

Directly adjacent to Knutpunkten and the ferry crossing lies the

vehicle marshalling area (2)

, the large landing at the harbour terminal used by vehicles boarding and disembarking the ferries.

At

Oslopiren (7),

west of Oceanhamnen, the temporary initiative

”#pixlapiren” is located. The idea is to allow the community to borrow a box, or a ”pixel”, for an activity. The locals fill #pixlapiren with content, and just like the city, the place changes and generates a mix of events, stories and developments. South of Oceanhamnen, along the waterline, lies a

sewage treatment plant (8)

. The treatment plant will remain but will be serviced by diverting the air through a 120-metre high existing chimney to minimise the unpleasant odour which the plant currently releases into the surroundings.

The pedestrian connection to Söder will run via the existing bridge over

Malmöleden (9)

which ends up adjoining to

Campus Helsingborg (10)

, a part of Lund University, where education and research take place in close collaboration with companies and organisations in the region.

Stadsparken (3)

, where Norr and Söder meet, was planned for housing developments during the nineteenth century as the southern district began to grow. However, a donation made to the city came to safeguard the use of the area as a park. Stadparken is one of the most important parks in today's Helsingborg.

West of Oceanpiren (4)

where

Magasin 405 (5)

remains as the only preserved port warehouse. The area where

Oceanhamnen(6)

is located is no longer in use as an industrial harbour. Magasin 405, which is the only building preserved from the old port operations on the pier. It differs from the other demolished warehouses, being larger and several storeys high.

Its maroon, local ”Helsingborg brick” was integral to its preservation status.

However, new construction of this area is planned to a spot height of +3.5 metres above sea level, the building’s existing ground floor is 1.5 meters below this.It will be a challenge for the renewal of Magasin 405

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A. Magasin 405 B. Oceanpiren C. Varvsparken D. Ferry Berth

E. Vehicle Marshalling Area

F. New Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge

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B

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D

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E

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Magasin 405 (A)

was built at a time when the harbour was bustling with life and the loading and unloading of large ships. It is of great importance that Magasin 405 carries the site’s heritage into the future. It should however be filled with new life and functions that serve to complement Oceanhamnen. The cultural node that the city wishes to create in Magasin 405 lies in the revamped old harbour — midway between the two districts — and its contents is intended to complement both Norr and Söder. Magasin 405’s function and location in between the districts should serve to link the city together and strengthen it as a whole.

The area north (B) of Oceanpiren

is planned to be finalised by 2022. There are plans for a new city fair and expo, H22, as an extension of the city’s previous exhibitions H55 and H99. The western pier,

Oslopiren (C)

, the point of departure remains the same here too — with raised quays, residential buildings with enclosed green courtyards and a channel through the pier.

Varvsparken (D)

, used to load ships onto a dry dock for maintenance and repair, is an important carrier of history, providing an understanding of how the area was used previously.

After having been partly rebuilt and filled up with soil, the dock will be used as a park, will also be part of the H22 city exhibition.

STRUCTURE PLAN

The plans for Oceanhamnen include a pedestrian and cycle path that will start from the south and further up towards north, past the warehouse. Today there is no clear orientation for pedestrians in the area, which is for the most part a construction site. An important future connection between Oceanhamnen and the centre will be the planned

pedestrian and cycle bridge (G)

that that lands right next to the ferry berth behind Knutpunkten.

On the east of Oceanpiren, the ferries depart from Helsingborg to Helsingör (E), with the

vehicle marshalling area (F)

acting as a barrier between the upcoming Oceanheamnen and the city. The barrier is also enhanced by the southbound train track area. Currently, the area around the ferry berth and the vehicle marshalling area is of great importance to Helsingborg, but a future tunnel over to Denmark may affect the area’s significance.

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The decision to let Magasin 405 remain within Oceanhamnen has affected what is being developed on site. In recent years, Magasin 405 has been a meeting place for temporary activities, events and workshops. Close to Magasin 405 lies Campus Helsingborg, part of Lund University, as well as several business incubators, which have served to revitalise the area. The role of Magasin 405 has transformed from an industrial warehouse into a social place. This old warehouse has been endowed with place attachment gradually.

Awakening the Value of Industrial Heritage

Western Facade of Magasin 405

VISIONS AND GOALS

Magasin 405, which was designed by Professor HJ Granholm, was built in 1945 using dark brown brick from the brick mill of local industrialist and consul Nils Persson.

The bricks of Magasin 405 tell a compelling story in themselves. Not only were the bricks formed with the clay that made the region a hub for brickworks and ceramic crafts, but they are specifically Helsingborgstegel – a brick produced by a pivotal historic figure and used in many local monuments, like the Klippan church and the Pålsjö crematorium.

Magasin 405 and its industrial characteristic have a profound impact on the development of habour area. The renovation of Magasin 405 will become a milestone for H22 city fair, it also will become a milestone in the H+ project. The transformation of Magasin 405 should build on its historical identity, but in the modern context of the new district. This can mean a wider process towards a finalised, sustainable re-use of the warehouse.

City exhibitions have, historically, been occasions for powerful institutions to promote their visions for the future. H99 exhibition, the name alludes to the Helsingborg exhibition in 1955, which came to be remembered as the H55 exhibition. H99 was held, like its predecessor, to show Swedish housing, architecture, design and technology during the past century.

From Exhibition To Participation

H22, as an extension of the city’s previous exhibitions H55 and H99. Magasin 405 will be a central building during the exhibition. Magasin 405 – during H22 – will be a central building to serve the exhibition and the vistors. But this is only a sub- goal, or rather, one part of the development process. After H22, this palce should be a platform that allows for new types of encounters, collaboration and learning.

Magasin 405 and its surrounding plot need meet the needs for various activities.

In the area around Norra hamnen, 13 new residential buildings in functionalist style were built by the harbor basin. Before the H99 exhibition of 1999, the port and its operations came to dominate the city’s coastline.The H99 not only fulfilled the goal of exhibition, but also transformed the port from an industrial area into a high-quality residential area, which was of great importance to the city Helsingborg as well as the Norra hamnen.

The ideal vision for this project should be that the citizens of Helsingborg will participate in the process of reshaping this space and form their own sense of belonging, as today's Norra hamnen.

Today's Norra Hamnen

Revitalizing the Harbour Area

The development and growth of the harbour area during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries made Helsingborg grow southwards with new working class districts related to the harbour area. The establishment of the port and the railway to the south meant that many industries established themselves here, and several tied cottages (employee housing units) were built in close proximity. Consequentially, Helsingborg became very segregated; working- class parts to south and more well-to-do parts in the north. However, these social structures are still tangible today.

Following a southward relocation of parts of the port operations — the overbuilding of the city’s northern train tracks, and heavy train and truck transports now taking the Öresund bridge route over the strait — the city has transformed the former port to integrate with parts of the city with retained maritime and harbour character. In the post-industrial context, some triggers need to be discovered to promote the revitalization of the harbour area, which the renovation of Magasin 405 can be one of them.

Magasin 405 is located on a pier with great waterfront conditions , and the transformation of the building should serve to connect the two segregated districts and thereby strengthen the city as a whole. From this perspective, it is important that its renovation should utlize the location advantage of the waterfront. In addition, its content has functions complementary to that already existing in the rest of the city.

Humans’ love for the waterfront is innate, returning the waterfront space which was originally occupied by port back to human activities is an effective strategy for revitalizing the harbour area. There are traditions that Nodic people have a preference for waterfront activities. Swimming, seabath, diving, sunbath, sauna, various activities can take place in the waterfront space. An open, attractive and easily accessible public space can potentialise eliminating segregation, which is essential for the sustainable development of society.

14 Visions for Revitalization of Habour Area

SWOT ANALYSIS

S ^Strengths

Weaknesses

Opportunities

Threats

W O

T

• Industrial Heritages

• Waterfront Landscape

• Open Vision

• Location(Close to City Centre)

• Development of H+ Project

• H22 Exhibition

• Nearby Varsvparken (Under Construction)

• Nearby Campus Helsingborg

• Single Use Function

• Lacking of Pedestrian Connections

• Isolated from Urban Area

• Insufficient Green Space

• Lower Building Level

• Noise Pollution(From Ferry and Car)

• Air Pollution (From Sewage Treatment and Car)

• Difficult Wind Condition

• Sea Level Evalation

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4 3

1.Waterfront View Site Status

2. New Construction Area

3.Industrial Heritages 4.Vehicle Marshalling Area

a. Renewal of Industrial Heritage

b. Restoration of Ecology

STRATEGY

• Preserving the original style of Magasin 405

• Adding new buildings for space expansion

• Increasing the attractiveness of waterfront space

• Utilizing the ecological value of Varvsparken

• Establishing 'green corridor' to reduce noise and airpollution

• Establishing canal landscape acrossing whole area

• Building mutiple layers of green space

Green C orridor Canal L

andsc ape Varvspar

ken

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c. Diversification of Functions

d. Perfection of Slow Traffic

• Providing multiple functions for diverse activities

• Closely connecting different service functions

• Centralizing Magasin 405 as commercial and social place

• Estabishing the loop of slow traffic

• Connecting with existing road network

• Providing covenient connections to city center

Office

Residence

Residence Park

Commerce

City Center Leisure

Sport

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MASTER PLAN

1. Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge 2. Entrance Square

3. Varvsparken 4. Canal Landscape 5. Playground 6. Skate Park 7. Central Square 8. Waterfront Square 9. Marina

10. Deck and Freshwater Pool 11. Seawater Pool

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0 25 50

1

6 4 5

7

8

3

10

Green Space Square

MASTER PLAN

Open Space

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To Knutpunkten and city center

To Stadsparken and Norr

To Campus Helsingborg and Söder

Slow Traffic

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MASTER PLAN

Office Apartment

Commercial Complex School

Stadium

Parking Garage

A mixed city that provides job opportunities has many positive outcomes. Reducing the distance between housing, production and commercial opportunities thereby reduces transport requirements, as well as strengthening local conditions. A mixed urban environment can potentialise a socially diverse city, counteracting segregation.

ZOOMING IN

B d

a

B

A A

b

c

Public spaces in different scales are suitable for different activities. These open spaces have unique spatial characteristics but also are closely connected functionally.

The entire public space system with renovated Magasin 405 would serve the Oceanhamnen area as a core.

ZOOMING IN

View a

View b

View c

View d

WORKSHOP

RESTAURANT

ZOOMING IN

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ZOOMING IN

Section A

WORKSHOP

RESTAURANT

EXHIBITION FOOD MARKET

Section B

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ZOOMING IN

REFERENCES

Europan Sverige. 2018. Europan 15, Helsingnorg. [online] Available at: https://www.europan-europe.

eu/media/default/0001/17/e15_se_helsingborg_t_en_pdf.pdf [Accessed 25 October 2020]

Europan Sverige. 2019. Site Visit Report, Helsingnorg. [online] Available at: https://www.europan-europe.

eu/media/default/0001/18/e15_se_helsingborg_site_visit_report_pdf.pdf [Accessed 25 October 2020]

Europan Sverige. 2019. Re-activating Magasin 405 . [online] Available at: https://www.europan-europe.

eu/media/default/0001/17/e15_se_helsingborg_ssf4_en_pdf.pdf [Accessed 25 October 2020]

Municipality of Helsingborg. 2020. Maps — Öppna Helsingborg. [online] Available at: <https://

helsingborg.opendatasoft.com/map/+372f8c10c8e34b5d/edit/> [Accessed 25 October 2020].

Sveriges Arkitekter. 2009. Imagine Helsingborg, Be involved in shaping the future of central southern Helsingborg, Structural prerequisites for the H+ project [online] Available at: <https://www.arkitekt.se/

app/uploads/2014/08/T%C3%A4vlingar-2009-H-Helsingborg-Structural-Prerequisities.pdf> [Accessed 25 October 2020].

Sveriges Arkitekter. 2009. Imagine Helsingborg, Be involved in shaping the future of central southern Helsingborg, Program project competition for H+, 2008 onwards. 2009. [online] Available at: <https://

www.arkitekt.se/app/uploads/2014/08/T%C3%A4vlingar-2009-H-Helsingborg-Competition-Brief.pdf>

[Accessed 25 October 2020].

Sveriges Arkitekter. 2009. Imagine Helsingborg, Competition report from the project competition for H+. 2009. [online] Available at: <https://www.arkitekt.se/app/uploads/2014/08/T%C3%A4vlingar-2009- H+-Helsingborg-juryutl%C3%A5tande.pdf> [Accessed 25 October 2020].

Sveriges Arkitekter. 2009. The Tolerant City, Tools for Developing The H+ Area, 2009. [online] Available at:

<https://www.arkitekt.se/app/uploads/2014/08/T%C3%A4vlingar-2009-H+-Helsingborg-The-Tolerant- City.pdf> [Accessed 25 October 2020].

Municipality of Helsingborg. 2020. Data — Öppna Helsingborg. [online] Available at: <https://

helsingborg.opendatasoft.com/explore/?sort=modified> [Accessed 25 October 2020].

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[Accessed 25 October 2020].

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Helsingborgs_hamn> [Accessed 25 October 2020].

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wiki/%C3%96resundsregionen> [Accessed 25 October 2020].

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Wikipedia. 2020. H55-utställningen. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/H55- utst%C3%A4llningen> [Accessed 25 October 2020].

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