A driving force in the design process has been the preservation of a pure and simple material expression.
Rigorously composed meetings between wood, concrete and steel ensure the maintenance of a sense of whole.
The private zones of the apartments are set apart from the more public areas by straightforward means, collecting the bedrooms upstairs in the maisonettes or facing north in the single storey dwellings. Internal wall openings illuminate central spaces to generate a greater volumetric transparency without compromising the sense of privacy.
Openness is a common theme throughout, blurring the boundaries between inside and outside. The cast fin walls framing the balcony compartments continue internally as an exposed concrete wall. Natural stone slabs in the window ledges spill down on the floor where the heating is distributed via a stone frieze sitting flush with the timber boards. The wood in turn transcends the domestic realm to form a warm backdrop within the balconies.
The seamless character of the snug metal envelope holding the project elements together has been achieved through meticulous technical solutions. Roof gutter and drainpipes have been carefully integrated into the surface, the galvanized fabric folds sharply over corners, tucks away window frames and pleats into a weather bar.
Perforated sheet make up the metal balustrades and coats the freestanding escape towers to further the smooth material impression. The facade panels are welded to a framework that connects directly to the concrete wall, their rhythm harmonizing with the spacing of windows and is reflected in the glass pane arrangement of the main circulation tower.
Tappen, Mariehäll, Stockholm, Sweden
Program: apartment complex
Architects: Joliark
Architect in charge: Per Johanson
Client: Reinhold Gustafsson Förvaltnings AB
Area: 5,750 sqm
Completion: 2015