Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Nordic Architecture & Design Special – Sweden
The Garden.
A total design experience As the name suggests, Total Arkitektur offers all-encompassing solutions for the ultimate design experience. Its architects come up with ideas for lost cities, give kids a better place to grow, and provide attractive housing more in tune with nature. By Malin Norman | Photos: Anders Fredriksén
Established some 70 years ago, Stockholm-based Total Arkitektur & Urbanism has a long history but is very much a young and dynamic office of around 25 talented people – from planning specialists setting the rules for what can be built, to architects creating everything from single housing to entire urban environments, and landscape architects involved in developing more sustainable and energy-efficient solutions.
proach along the lines of togetherness and sustainability. “We want to be leaders in the field, offering our broad range of clients a carefully prepared solution from their initial vision to the final execution,” explains one of Total’s architects, Johan Granqvist. “This is why our process is interdisciplinary and we use all of our competences through each and every stage. It’s important for what we leave behind.”
Working closely together on all kinds of public and private projects, this creative team adapts to the different requirements but uses the same overall ap-
Plans for a lost city
126 | Issue 105 | October 2017
One such interdisciplinary project is Hemmesta Centrum, which is one of five town centres in Värmdö Municipality
where Total has been the overall coordinator for a number of architectural firms and is also developing a structural plan for the town centre, including layout and design of streets, parks and squares as well as blocks of around 700 apartments, designed by a contemporary reinterpretation of the typical ‘archipelago character’ found in Scandinavia. “Hemmesta Centrum has no real structure – it’s a bit like a lost city,” admits Granqvist and highlights the increased interest in the area. “As Värmdö Municipality is now in an expansive phase, lots of people are moving there and the demand for new housing alternatives is growing. We were commissioned to come up with a plan and, so far, have been able to unite a wide range of visions and opinions – quite a feat!”