“ If you’re a kid living in Holmsund there is mainly sports activities provided. Creative activities only exist in Umeå ” C R E A T I V E L A B [ S A N D V I K S A K T I V I T E T S H U S ]

How do we shape the spaces in which we create? What qualifies as inspir-ing architecture? Is there an unexplored relationship between art, craft and the physical environment it’s being created within?

The activities of creating and crafting, are analogue knowledges exer-cised by multiple individuals within the realm of Holmsund. Holmsund is a society, an archipelago, 13 kilometers outside of Umeå, where pro-fessional painters, hat makers and moviemakers as well as amateur cre-atives are living and creating on their own.

When Holmsund municipality came to an end in the 60s, it was merged with Umeå municipality. Fundings for cultural and creative activities and assigned spaces in Holmsund were in competition with existing and fu-ture cultural activities in Umeå. The municipality’s first cultural goal is to invest in a cultural life that is open and accessible to everyone through-out the municipality. Yet Västerbotten’s museum, shall store and exhibit all cultural heritages, art and crafts in the whole of Västerbotten region and the new cultural building Väven in Umeå costs around 64.3 million SEK for the municipality merely to rent each year.

“If you’re a kid living in Holmsund there is mainly sports activities pro-vided. Creative activities only exist in Umeå.”

The lack of efficient infrastructure to the cultural center of Umeå and eco-nomical fundings for creative activities locally makes it difficult for the people of Holmsund to experience craft and to take part in the creative identity of their society.

“ Holmsund has been chronically deprived from

public art. ”

Rasmus West, filmmaker living in Holmsund.

“ If you’re a kid living in Holmsund there is mainly

sports activities provided. Creative activities only

exist in Umeå ”

Gerd Aurell, artist living in Holmsund.

E M M A W A L T E R

S T U D I O 3 : O P E N A R C H I P E L A G O

Investigation shows that Holmsund is not lacking people of the creative kind and those interested and that could benefit from creative culture. There are several creative businesses in Holmsund and even more cre-ative individuals living and creating in Holmsund, more or less discon-nected from each other.

However, what Holmsund is lacking is a space and activities that allow for these people to practise and experience this kind of creative culture. Due to a low economic support from Umeå municipality for these kinds of activities in Holmsund, it wouldn’t be able to fund a new building of this kind.

One of the few places left for creating in Holmsund exists in one of the two old sawmill buildings in Sandvik in the north of Holmsund. Here, a few groups of creative individuals are sharing a building, in an area mostly occupied by machines. The Culture Club arranges creative mak-erspaces, gaming and music sessions for youths, there are two private workshops, a local weaving community and boule association. The rea-son for the variety in activities in the building is, according to the users, that there is no other available space in Holmsund. And recently the next door sawmill building, previously housing a smith, cleared out the top floor and leaving it empty.

In relation to the present political and cultural situation, this project aims to connect two existing historical buildings in Holmsund in order to ex-pand the space for the creative identity of today’s Holmsund.

By emphasizing on an intermingled relationship between art, architec-ture and creativity it could be a source for inspiration and imagination. This creates a connection among the local creative individuals and pro-vides a place for all inhabitants of Holmsund to be able to experience and interact with the creative culture in a creative and exhibiting lab.

The Entertainment Center at Sandvik is a perfect location for implement-ing another cultural and social activity that lacks space in Holmsund. The building is well known with a strong identity and plays an important part in the history, as part of the sawmill, but as well in the present Holmsund in the form of a cultural meeting place waiting to be fully and creatively activated.

The main participation lies in the stage after final construction, the main-taining and using of the structure. A free and inspiring structure will pro-vide a ways to change and arrange the interior space it sits in. It shall be easly adjusted and adaptable to all kinds of different creative activities that could take place here.

C R E A T I V E L A B

[ S A N D V I K S A K T I V I T E T S H U S ]

P A R T I C I P A T I O N : T I M E L I N E

Kulturklubben of the Sandviks Aktivitetshus is the main association be-ing a part of this project; the Creative Lab. By involvbe-ing them, residents and creatives in the begining of the project it can shape the

intervention into a more social and suitable structure for Holmsund. During the design and construction phase, Kulturklubben and North-land Resources could together with engineers and architects contribute with locally produces structures. Creative activities can then take place in the flexible space of the Creative Lab, a creative space for creativity.

M A P P I N G : H O L M S U N D

E M M A W A L T E R

S T U D I O 3 : O P E N A R C H I P E L A G O

S U N S T U D Y

C R E A T I V E L A B

[ S A N D V I K S A K T I V I T E T S H U S ]

D E N S I T Y A N D M A T E R I A L

U R B AN S T R A T E G Y

The area of Sandviks Industripark is a space physically disconnected with the residential area in Sandvik as well as Holmsund. The big road of Storgatan divides these areas from each other. However, the walk-ing path of Holmsundsleden that goes through entire Holmsund also goes through the industrial area and along the shoreline, passing by the old Sandvik sawmill buildings containing Sandviks Aktivitetshus as I would like to call it.

Even if these space are somewat divided, the visual connection is present creating a potential of connection between them, through Holmsundsleden.

By activating the spaces within the building, expanding out towards the public, a visual perception of the creative activities happening in the brick buildings can draw other residents and creative people in Holmsund to this low active area.

Storgatan connects to the bigger roads of Holmsundsvägen and Blå Vägen that goes through all of Holmsund and lateron to Obbola and Umeå. This allows for people from Holmsund and Umeå to easliy ac-cess the creative centre, whether by car or by walking on Holmsund-sleden.

By giving art and creativity a physical space in Holmsund, it can be a source of creative knowledge and bring people with the same inter-ests together that where unkown to each other before.

Looking into the building of Sandviks Aktivitetshus we find multiple dif-ferent activities sharing this space. In an area mostly occupied by ma-chines and big trucks this building offers social and human activities such as snowboard-, paintball- and bumberball-rental on the first floor of Hazeland. There is also an inactive workshop in this floor. Going up two stairs we find the weaving community, the hacker/maker space, a boule association with a fika room and studios for youth bands . In the top of the building is another private workshop.

Even if it seems like alot of activity occupying the building, some of the space stands empty on alot of times during the week and weekend. The building is only accessible on very few times or if you have a key. The communities in the building and the area is in need of a common indoor space in order to strengthen the relationship within the building. The other old sawmill building next to Sandviks Aktivitetshus is currently used as a private smith workshop in the first floor, as well as a car repai-ral workshop on the backyard. On the top floor there is a 250 m2 empty space previously also used by a smith, but have been renovated the re-cent year.

A creative and social meeting space in Holmsund is not existing at the moment and both professional artists and amateurs are kept discon-nected and scattered all over Holmsund. In the first floor of the building, where Hazeland lies, is a large space with double height in ceiling height that is a rental space of Hazeland.

These space are potential space for this non exiting creative space in Holmsund.

The two buildings stands as a memory of the historical Holmsund and active or not in present tense, it can be turned into a symbol for Holm-sund today. A place where creativity florishes, but is not economically or spatially supported by the municipality as we speak.

The Creative Lab is a part of Sandviks Aktivitetshus, that is situated in the brick building closest to the residential neighbourhood. In this space a flexible structure will take place, a structure that aims to adapt the space after the activity and creative project that wants to take place here. The flexibility of arrangements of walls and working surfaces lacks limi-tations and allows for complete creativity and imagination. If you want to create something, space should not be the limit but the supporter of your project. It should be changeable in order to create a comfortable space to create in.

The old brick buildings stands farely close to each other, so close that they almost touch, brick to brick. However, there is an interesting space inbetween the buildings that creates a corridor towards the water and Holmsundsleden or the industrial area. It is almost as if the space exists there to be turned into a transitional space between the two buildings. A connecting and exhibitory space for all the creative pieces created within the Sandviks Aktivitetshus.

In this area, the relationship between the industrial and residential area is mostly based on the walking path of Holmsundsleden going through the industrial area and along the shoreline. However, there is alot of po-tential of an activation and strengthening of this relationship.

The site of Sandviks Aktivitetshus, the old industrial sawmill building in the north part of Holmsund, is a building that from the outside seems empty and low in activity but on the inside there are multiple different activities going on in different times of the day. All of these communities and companies have their spaces here in this shared building due to the lack of other spaces in Holmsund. This has gradually become an activi-ty-building, ett aktivitetshus, where the different activities are somewhat disconnected from each other.

Some of the vast spaces in this building and the one standing next to it are also standing empty at many times of the day. The entire industrial area of Sandvik is quite inactive during the weekend, except from the walking path.

The strategy of this creative project is to, from the inside of these two buildings create a shared space for creative activities, social interaction and a meeting place for both people active in the building as well as res-idents and artists in Holmsund as a whole. From the inside this could ex-pand out, if not physically, it can create a magnetic pull drawing people from Sandvik and all over Holmsund in to this space, activating a space that otherwise stands empty on different times of the day.

The main floor of the Creative Lab sits on the first floor of the building, above the presently used smith’s and car workshop. This elevation of the spaces makes it in height with the second floor of Sandviks Aktivitetshus next to it, where the weaving and culture club have their locations. The design of the space originates from the notion of creating something by hand. Its form is spatially invesigated through the means of carving out space, by hand. With the functionality and density of the grid in mind, the spaces within have been carefully carved out of the mass, creating fluid, organic and inspiring surroundings.

As seen in the floor plan of this floor, the grid is shown how it sits in rela-tion to the floor, creating the limits and connecrela-tion between the spaces. The grayscale gradient represent the change and progression of the grid above oneself. Creating cavities and cave like milieus.

A large creative space with up to 7 meters in ceiling height have been carved out in the centre and slightly to the back/southwest wall. An opening in the ceiling creates a focal point and distribution of natural light filling up this space. This creative space is enclosed by the grid, yet quite vast, free and open with multiple access points and viewable from both first and second floor. It is adaptable to the creative project and numbers of participant.

From the space itself one has visual overview of the spaces connected to it as well.

In this space storage for materials and artworks have been integrated in the surrounding grid, the same goes for the utilities and water supply underneath the staircase that climbs to the second floor in the border around the creative space. From this space one can enter other creative spaces of smaller scales, for individuals or smaller groups or projects with conditions of dimmer light and sense of enclosement. These are placed closer to the walls and corners of the existing building.

In close relation to the bigger space is a more public space of access, circulation and inspiration. These are placed closer to the windows and view of the water in the east. The narrow spaces with vast heights in the ceiling, simulates the narrow and organic walls of a canyon or a cave. This labyrinth of space makes one wander, physically and mentally, fos-tering creativity.

4.5 meters up, following the back and south wall of the building, we have an upper floor and observation deck, overviewing the creative space and the public space. Additionally there are smaller spaces for creative pro-jects and gatherings on this floor as well.

This space is accessible through the staircase from the downstairs crea-tive space, or the stair and elevator in connection to the entrance hall in the south. In the north, one can access the space from the transitional exhibition and from the activities in Sandviks Aktivitetshus.

P L A N 1

S C R E E N I N G R O O M

P R O G R A M M E & C I R C U L A T I O N

E X H I B I T I O N

O R I E L

W A T E R

E N T R A N C E H A L L

P L A N 2

P L A N 2

P R O G R E S S I O N O F

G R I D

P L A N 1

P L A N 1

B

A

E M M A W A L T E R

S T U D I O 3 : O P E N A R C H I P E L A G O

C R E A T I V E L A B

[ S A N D V I K S A K T I V I T E T S H U S ]

A R C H I T E C T U R A L R E S O L U T I O N

C

The mass of the grid does not only extend the project outside the existing building though the exhibition and the entrance hall. It wells out in all openings of the brick sawmill fasade. It carefully takes over the building and with the existing structure itself the new spaces for exhibition, learn-ing and creatlearn-ing are formed.

Looking closer into the strategy and relation to the site that this project has, a new cultural space to visit in evenings and weekends have been in-troduced to Holmsund and the realm of Sandvik. A neighbourhood that previously mainly housed a mix of industrial and residential buildings in the outskirts of Holmsund.

This intervention creates a meeting place for creative people and cultur-ally interested individuals in a society lacking such a space.

The ground floor plan presents the first and direct relationship that the creative lab has with Sandvik and the inhabitants. In the south the en-trance hall welcomes visitors from the residential area and the rest of Holmsund, people going by car or walking through Holmsundsleden. This is the first part of the project that you encounter with and the one with the strongest visual connection with the public.

This lab is also accessible and interactable at ground floor from the back, through the inbetween and narrow space that was first introduced and birth the idea of this project being in this place. It is still possible to pass through the corridor of the old sawmill buildings, yet it has been reshaped and designed by the masses of the interior grid flowing out. A hidden staircase leads up to the exhibition hall and later on the creative lab and the other activities of this place.

The 3-dimensional and 3D-printed grid has shaped the spaces of this intervention and been formed itself by the programmes and functions of these spaces. However, a hidden function of this boundary structure itself, that has been the initial idea of the grid, is the adaptable and add-on functiadd-onality it has.

The grid works as a multifunctional and interactive mass, that individu-als using the space in relation to it can use the grid itself.

Through an easy plug-in arrangement, the grid can be broken down and added on. It can work as integrated storage with 3D shelving system, hanging devices in the above masess, connection points to stabilize cre-ative projects or pieces of art, vertical or horizontal monters for hanging canvases, fabrics and montable podiums for sculptures and objects.

A lesser discussed function of architecture and physical environments is the psychological and emotional impact that it has. If an arrangement of space or an interior (or exterior) structure can make you feel certain feelings in that space, make you be aware of the setting you’re in or how light, color, textures affects that scene, or let’s your mind come of new and bring ideas of creativity. Isn’t that a function as well?