Preschool facility Sörgården Stockholm

Publisher
Tisková zpráva
26.07.2018 08:30

If children could build a kindergarten themselves, it would definitely look like the one named Sörgården in Tullinge, south of Stockholm. Playful and with cheerful details, full of light, well-designed and friendly, yet also robust and durable. The very act of designing was, in a way, a return to childhood.

For Carolin Fleming and Johan Granqvist from the architectural office Total Arkitektur, there is no better field than architecture. The opportunity to be creative, work with people and for people, creating extraordinary spaces for living and working, these are the reasons why they consider their work exceptional. Such an attitude can be felt throughout the entire team. The architectural office, which besides residential buildings also specifically designs schools and social care facilities, has been in existence for 70 years. During all this time, as projects have been designed and built for various generations and needs, valuable experience has been accumulated, which is now shared with the young team.

Ms. Fleming, you and Johan Granqvist designed and implemented the construction of the preschool facility "Sörgården" together. How did it all begin?

Carolin Fleming: The original request was to add another building to the existing preschool facility from the 1970s. However, since the old building was rotting and in a dilapidated state, it needed to be torn down. This naturally allowed us to realize our own ideas. The old building was a dark box with many corridors, confusing and oppressive. We wanted to change that in every way. Instead of a main corridor, we created a sort of gallery around the garden in the inner courtyard. The gallery provides an overview of what is happening throughout the facility, facilitating work and communication between staff and children.

Johan Granqvist: It was important for us to create a building that seamlessly blends into the surroundings. There are lots of suburban houses and villas from the 1960s and 70s, nothing too attractive. Therefore, we opted for a very modest and linear design for the building. It was not meant to be too eye-catching or prominent.

The building features a diamond motif that can be seen in many places. What is behind this idea?

CF: Indeed, the diamond shape appears in the building's floor plan, but also in the "reading alcoves" and dormers where these reading corners are located, which protrude in different directions from the facade. The diamond extends like a red thread throughout the project.

The simple, unified style is also evident in the interior, with lots of metal and light-colored wood. Why not vibrant colors?

JG: The investors had precise ideas about the interior; the colors were to be as neutral and light as possible. Variety is provided by the pictures and creations of the children; the works of the little artists are meant to be the center of attention. Wood feels warm, and children should feel comfortable.

The facade of the preschool is certainly not ordinary, both optically and technically. What special demands were placed on it?
JG: As for the facade, the municipality was very demanding. The facade needed to be robust, also to withstand the consequences of children's play, like football. They did not want it to be repaired every six months. We were convinced that the products from PREFA Aluminiumprodukte would certainly meet these demands. The promise "Strong as a bull!" and the forty-year warranty then convinced the representatives of the municipality, and our proposal was approved.

Brown PREFA facade panels were used, and for the large diamond-shaped ornaments, templates in the color of Mayan gold were used, all sized 20×20. To contrast with the brown metal and to achieve an impressive natural look, we cladded the facade in some places with wood.

The diamond motif is also dominant on the facade. Was this intention implemented right away?

CF: We wanted to apply our diamond design to the facade as well, and with the facade panels, it was easy. After all, it's a building for children, it should be playful and nice to look at. The golden panels give the impression that it is decorated with medals or sparkling jewelry. This was the first time we used aluminum, and it greatly fascinated us, as aluminum opened unexpected creative possibilities. We could combine colors and also create a tactile experience.

JG: We received several samples from PREFA and played with them, experimenting. We then planned the ornaments for the facade digitally on our computers on a larger scale. One is transported back to childhood; it was like a large puzzle or a computer game, almost like Pac-Man or Tetris.

How did you learn about this material here in Stockholm?

JG: There was a construction fair happening here, and we looked at various offers for facade materials. Then we discovered the company PREFA and its templates; they looked very attractive and promised easy processability. We were really excited to try the aluminum elements ourselves in our architectural office.

We are very satisfied with the result and the overall appearance. Also with the color and color combinations, and how the optical impression interestingly changes depending on the weather and lighting conditions.

How do you assess the project overall? Do you hope for a baby boom so that more similar buildings can be created?

CF: Working on this type of building was a great pleasure for us. To create spaces for little children - after all, they will spend their first years of life here! And of course, we wanted to do something meaningful and nice for the staff to ease their work and its organization.

JG: Yes, I really hope so. Because we are currently in a period of economic growth, another baby boom shouldn’t take long to arrive. Our office has been around for 70 years and has realized many schools, preschools, and similar structures. And now there are indeed more projects of this kind on our desk. The preschool project was certainly a good reference for other municipalities and clients who need childcare facilities.

Michael Karlsson and his roofing company MK Byggnadsplåtslageri from Västerå near Stockholm carried out the installation of the building's cladding.

A facade like that of the Sörgården preschool is visually something extraordinary, surely even for you as a roofer.

MK: Yes, we cladded this building with 1200 square meters of facade panels sized 20×20 in brown and Mayan gold. We had not done anything similar prior to this contract. The spaces and windows protruding from the facade, the golden ornament - that required first finding the right procedure. PREFA invited us to the PREFA Academy in Wasungen, Germany, where they showed us exactly how to work with the material. My team and I gained valuable insights. The advantages of PREFA's aluminum products are not only that they are lightweight, but also that they are easy to work with and malleable. This allowed for the easy realization of the facade with the pattern. I am very satisfied with the work and the final look of the preschool. It was designed by skilled architects.

Were any special elements used on the building?

MK: For the preschool, we installed a roof drainage system with PREFA square downspouts and gutters. They look good visually and are indeed robust. They withstand not only large amounts of water but also the playful whims of children. Stability and long lifespan played an important role in this project. At PREFA Academy and during our own installation, we learned a lot, so next time we can start immediately. I would love to work with this material on future projects. It has proven itself to us.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Project Name: Preschool Facility Sörgården
Building, Location: public building, Stockholm, Sweden
Type of building: new construction
Architects: Carolin Fleming and Johan Granqvist, Total Arkitektur och Urbanism TAU AB, Stockholm

Photography: Croce & WIR

Execution: MK Byggnadsplåtslageri, Västerås
Roof Drainage: PREFA square downspout
Type of Facade: PREFA facade panel 20x20
Facade Color: P.10 brown and Mayan gold

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