Sustainable housing, Stockholm

Hammarby Sjöstad in Stockholm is known worldwide as an exemplary example of how a port area can be transformed into a sustainable urban development. Now Stockholm is planning yet another high-profile environmental area called Norra Djurgårdsstaden. Here, C.F. Møller Architects has won the competition for a new ferry terminal as well as the competition for a housing development. The idea is that the ferry terminal for Stockholm's ferry connections to Finland and the Baltics will be a landmark for the entire sustainable development Norra Djurgårdsstaden, which is to be completed in 2025.

The aim is that the ferry terminal will be predominantly self-sufficient in energy, by integrating solar and wind power. For example, the terraced landscape on the roof will integrate beds of solar cells along with the planting. The plan is to communicate the sustainable efforts to the people in the building by using, for example, centrally placed television screens, helping to raise awareness of the potential of sustainable construction.

The town houses are a part of a large urban development project to transform a former industrial area on the harbour of Stockholm into the city's new high-profile environmental area called Norra Djurgaardsstaden. The eighteen houses will be neighbouring a former gasworks, which will be turned into a cultural centre, as well as Husarviken, which flows into the archipelago, and the Stockholm National City Park. The architecture is inspired by the gasworks’ red bricks and simple geometry, as well as by the area's green qualities.

The aim of the housing district is to adapt to global climate changes, so that in 2030 the district will no longer make use of fossil fuels, and thereby not contribute to the emission of CO₂. The requirement in the building programme is that energy consumption of the living units must not exceed 55 kWh/m²/year, including a maximum of 15 kWh/m²/year used for electricity, but the aim of the project made by C.F. Møller Architects is to go even further.

Energy consumption will be minimized by means of the massing of the buildings, for example, the town houses are staggered in order to maximize views and daylight, and have dense constructions. Also contributing are solutions such as intelligent lighting, solar panels for heating, and heat recovery.

Characteristic for the town houses will also be green roofs with wild honeysuckle and herbs, which – along with a landscaped pond in the common yard – will collect rainwater, convert CO₂, and provide a fertile ground for biodiversity. The sustainable approach is continuous throughout the building life cycle – from construction phase to operational phase and a possible later decomposition phase, i.e. Cradle to Cradle Design.