2021–10–08
A visit to the town square in the Stockholm suburb of Kärrtorp inspired journalist Dan Hallemar to review the site in Arkitektur journal. Hallemar describes the 1950’s site as a suburban idyll recently revived by a gust of fresh air under its wings, thanks to Stockholm-based architecture firm Nyréns.
Hallemar gives an account of observing a father on parental leave, who pauses at a new park bench installed at the site.
‘He puts his toddler down beside a high-back bench, sits himself down, lifts the child up, then peels a banana. The little toddler practically disappears inside the bench’s oversized proportions. A friend of the father comes out of the local supermarket and walks over, himself holding a banana. Both guys wear caps, and both have trendy beards. They represent the new generation. It’s the generation of densification, and a generation of gentrification too.’
The high-back bench described by Hallemar is Ultuna, designed by Daniel Ericsson and Bengt Isling, who is also the landscape architect responsible for redesigning the square. One of Nola’s contributions to the project was developing a polyfunctional table with in-built, retractable benches made specifically for the site. The table is a new edition to the Ultuna series.
Please see issue 6 of Arkitektur for the full story.
Kärrtorps Centrum on the cover of the latest issue of Swedish architecture magazine Arkitektur. Photo: Åke E:son Lindman
On Tuesday, Nola’s Founder and Head of Design, Agneta Stake, participated in a panel discussion with the theme “History and Future”. The panel discussion was part of the event Inside Swedish Design and can be seen here.
Make sure to view Inside Swedish Design (virtually or safely IRL) at Stockholms Auktionsverk during Stockholm Design Week. We’ll be showing news connected to outdoor offices and workspaces with designs by Superlab, Fredrik Mattson, Mats Aldén and Nina Jobs.