NÖTSKRIKAN
Nötskrikan at Lugnet weaves together the area’s history and contemporary life in a new residential building. Carefully chosen materials give the building a sense of both robustness and tactility. Through its proportions and volume, the house takes a natural place in the city fabric, where the presence of the church, the cultural center, and the smaller streets meet in a harmonious dialogue between past, present and future.
THE AREA AND THE URBAN SPACE
Lugnet in Borås is a district of quiet strength — a tapestry woven from many eras, with Gustav Adolf Church as its self-evident focal point. Grand institutions coexist with smaller dwellings, civic gravitas alongside intimate streets. Historical maps reveal that approaching from the city center, the church was intended as a framed focal point, flanked by two radiating streets, one of which runs across the designated plot. This urban principle places the new building within a historically significant sightline, demanding careful consideration of how it meets and enhances views along Gustav Adolf Street.
The new development fills a missing note in this composition — a respectful echo and a confident step forward. It responds to the solemn church, the cultural house, and the human scale of the smaller streets. It integrates seamlessly, completing the ensemble with subtle precision. Proportions and materials are chosen to converse with the context, creating a presence both contemporary and enduring.
Responding to the radiant street, the transparent ground floor curves gently inward, welcoming passersby. Following the bend of the road, it forms a soft threshold between public realm and interior. The forecourt becomes a stage for everyday life — a place for chance encounters, pauses, and movement through the space.
Above, greenhouses rise like lanterns in the evening sky, crowning the structure with light and life. They form shared rooftop gardens and spaces for reflection. From here, Borås unfolds in layers: the church spire, treetops, and quiet streets below. The rooftops create a living landscape where built form and nature meet.
Through these gestures, the new quarter becomes a vital link — a bridge across eras, connecting the city’s heritage with its ongoing life.
A PROPOSAL THAT REFLECTS
The building draws from its context without imitation. Materials, proportions, and detailing reference neighboring structures while expressing a contemporary identity — calm, confident, and forward-looking. Facades are structured yet warm, solid yet tactile, balancing civic presence with a human scale.
Its elegance lies in continuity — in the dialogue between permanence and change. Materials are chosen for endurance and the patina they acquire over time. Every surface, detail, and shadow is shaped to feel rooted in its place and moment.
This is an architecture that listens as much as it expresses itself. In its presence, Lugnet feels complete — a district where history and the present coexist in harmony.
FACADE CONCEPT
The facades take cues from the area’s enduring character — its proportions, materials, and craftsmanship. The composition merges classical order with modern expression, creating an identity that honors tradition while renewing it.
Stone, brick, and metal are chosen for durability and graceful aging. Each detail carries traces of care and time. The facade reinforces the relationship with the public realm, offering dignity without distance. This is not a structure that seeks attention. It endures quietly and confidently, becoming part of the city’s ongoing dialogue between heritage and transformation.
