flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Winning design by 3XN converts modernist bathhouse to university library

Winning design by 3XN converts modernist bathhouse to university library

The sleek, new 196,441-sf addition in Sweden contains modernist elements that respects the original 1930s structure's integrity.


By BD+C Staff | July 1, 2014
All renderings courtesy 3XN
All renderings courtesy 3XN

Denmark-based architecture firm 3XN's design won the architectural competition for Mälardalen University's new educational facility in Eskilstuna, southwest of Stockholm, Architecturelab reports.

The new building's cubic shape, geometric trellis, and bright façade is a nod to the nearby historical, modernist public bathhouse designed by Paul Hedqvist in the 1930s. 

The winning proposal is of a 196,441-sf structure that will house educational facilities and workplaces for 4,000 students and 350 students. The project is estimated to cost 49 million.

The firm said about the conversion:

"Internally, the new building connects to the public bath on the first to decks, creating a cohesive flow between old and new. The lower levels will be completely open and connected so that the new and old building seen as one functional and spatial whole. The volume of the main swimming pool is retained as the school library. By also locating the café and student house in the public bath, it becomes a unique social meeting place for the students.

"A central atrium, double-height auditoriums, open study areas and inner courtyards create a building with good visual connections between floors. Classrooms and lecture halls are located on the lower three floors. The administrative offices are at the top of the building, creating a more private working environment."

Related Stories

Green | Jul 1, 2016

Perkins Eastman pledges to use EDGE green building system for five upcoming international projects

The firm will partner with the International Finance Corporation to promote sustainable building in emerging markets like India and China.

Healthcare Facilities | Jul 1, 2016

AIA releases summary of the 2016 Design and Health Research Consortium

Consortium members discussed how architects, designers, and health professionals can best apply design and health research in their communities.

Architects | Jun 30, 2016

The year's best small projects include a floating sauna, dental trailer, and smocked porch

AIA chose the 2016 recipients of the Small Project Awards. Every entry cost less than $1.5 million to build, with one as low as $900.

Architects | Jun 29, 2016

AIA: Healthy demand for all building types signaled in Architecture Billings Index

Recent client interest could signal resurgence for institutional market. May's ABI score was the highest mark in nearly a year.

Architects | Jun 28, 2016

5 easy ways architects can increase their profits

Whitehorn Financial Managing Principal Steve Whitehorn offers effective ways to recoup lost revenue, including a few strategies that capitalize on recent changes to the federal tax code.

AEC Tech | Jun 27, 2016

If ‘only the paranoid survive,’ what does it take to thrive?

“Sooner or later, something fundamental in your business world will change.” The late Andrew Grove (1936-2016), Co-founder of tech giant Intel Corp., lived by these words.

Architects | Jun 15, 2016

Design Thinking makes its way into Yale School of Management

The school will introduce Design Observer co-founders Jessica Helfand and Michael Bierut as faculty.

Retail Centers | Jun 14, 2016

Zaha Hadid and Gensler among finalists for Sunset Strip billboard design competition

The concepts are curvy, sleek, and multidimensional, and feature sharp digital displays.

Movers+Shapers | Jun 14, 2016

VERTICAL INTEGRATOR: How Brooklyn’s Alloy LLC evolved from an architecture firm into a full-fledged development company

Led by an ambitious President and a CEO with deep pockets, Alloy LLC's six entities control the entire development process: real estate development, design, construction, brokerage, property management, and community development.

Office Buildings | Jun 14, 2016

Let's not forget introverts when it comes to workplace design

Recent design trends favor extroverts who enjoy collaboration. HDR's Lynn Mignola says that designers need to accommodate introverts, people who recharge with solitude, as well.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Great Solutions

41 Great Solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors

AI ChatBots, ambient computing, floating MRIs, low-carbon cement, sunshine on demand, next-generation top-down construction. These and 35 other innovations make up our 2024 Great Solutions Report, which highlights fresh ideas and innovations from leading architecture, engineering, and construction firms.




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021