Fisksätra Folkets Hus

GENERAL Folkets hus (meaning: Peoples house) is the first building to be finished in the redevelopment of Fisksätra, a suburban residential area outside Stockholm, built in the 1970’s. Not much has been built here since, and this will be the first new building from this millennium in the area. It has a very prominent place near the station for the commuters train, and is designed to catch the attention of all commuters passing by here each day. When you redevelop an area, it is crucial to give a central space for the local culture, and Fisksätra Folkets hus will be the cultural anchor that links the existing cultural context with the future Fisksätra. DESIGN The building is thought to be temporary on the site, 5-10 years, with a temporary building permit. After that, it might be moved elsewhere. This inspired us to make a design that relates to temporary tent structures. A clear inspiration is the copper tents, commissioned by King Gustav III and designed by Louis Jean Desprez, built 1787-1790, in Solna, north of Stockholm. The main design element is a 30 meter wide rounded eye-shaped sky light, that gives light to the central room in the house. The façade and roof is completely clad by aerugo colored sinus corrugated tin sheets. The color was specially picked to be a complement color to the orange metal sheets that cover the neighboring residential houses. All windows around the building are pointed, resembling the openings of a tent when you pull away the drapes. Together, these design elements create a striking, fun and cartoonish quality. Our aim was to create a design that could be popular among the several children that lives in the area, and to create a positive vibe, a sense that change is coming, and change is good for this community. PROGRAM AND INSIDE Fisksätra Folkets hus houses cultural activities for people of all ages and background, e.g performances, public meetings, dance classes, art classes, music production, a maker space, cooking classes and more. The plan layout consists of three open spaces, divided by two boxes that houses smaller meeting rooms, WC’s, storage space etc. All large spaces have direct access from the exterior and activities can operate parallel without disturbing each other. Because the building houses so different activities, all spaces are designed to be simple and flexible. The rooms are simple and general with great acoustics and high ceilings. The central room features the 30 m sky light, a café and a grand seating stair for e.g. performances and public meetings. The inside is simple, durable and elegant like the outside, with few materials and colours: The floors are sanded concrete and massive pine wood. The walls are clad with white painted wood, and the recognizable pointed windows gives all rooms character. The pale coloring of the interior was chosen to create a backdrop for the colorful activities that will happen here.