Äppelträdgården (the Apple Orchard)
Hans Wretling

Äppelträdgården (the Apple Orchard)

White arkitekter AB as Architects

Complementing the suburb One of today's most pressing issues is the development and renewal of our ever-growing suburbs. Today, Västra Frölunda is a large housing estate, the bulk of which is made up of small apartments in multi-storey buildings. The estate has the largest number of inhabitants aged over 65 in the whole of Gothenburg. Äppelträdgården, or the Apple Orchard, is integrated into the existing large-scale suburb to the west of Gothenburg city centre. The project received the award “Best residential project in Sweden 2011”.


A safer environment These sprawling suburbs often create an unsafe environment. Västra Frölunda is typical of the type of urban planning that gave priority to cars rather than pedestrians and bicycles. Roads where people are constantly on the move don't offer any passive surveillance from surrounding homes and businesses. Pedestrian underpasses in the area are dark and walkways often poorly lit. This makes for a large-scale outdoor environment that lacks warmth and offers little in terms of relaxation.


The Skolmössan estate is a large suburban area that will be complemented by a small-scale development containing a mixture of freehold properties and rental properties. These are terraced houses on two floors, located along intimate streets and set within a communal "äppelträdgård" or apple orchard.


Sustainable proximity Instead of traditional standard parking for two cars per house, the proximity of the area to the tram network and public transport hub mean that parking for one car per household should be adequate. The advantage of this will be an estate of small houses which promotes sustainable travelling habits.


Äppelträdgården is in close proximity to a preschool and comprehensive school, the businesses in Frölunda Torg shopping centre, an arts centre, swimming pool, trams and buses as well as the natural beauty of the sea and forest. The project therefore benefits from the infrastructure and services that have developed here since the 1960s.


While the existing housing tends to be homogenous, the new housing will be more varied. And, rather than accentuating the large distances from the city, Äppelträdgården will aim to highlight the sites proximity to existing amenities and services. The design’s more intimate lanes will provide a contrast with the surrounding car parks, while the apple orchard works in harmony with the large grassed areas and Slottsberget’s forest.


Äppelträdgården - its own identity, in a relationship with Frölunda


Own identity – a richer whole Äppelträdgården provides its inhabitants with their own separate identity. People living on this estate will not just be living in Frölunda but in the "apple orchard”. At the same time, Äppelträdgården offers an attractive aspect for people who already live and work in that estate. Instead of constructing sharp physical boundaries between the site, the estate and the surrounding areas with the purpose of creating an island of safety, we are creating an local attraction that is open to all. This will give people living here the opportunity to get onto the property ladder, with a home on their own plot of land within the same housing estate.


Our aim is for the project to provide a contrast that will complement the existing large-scale buildings in Frölunda. The newer houses provide variety and avoid the conventional identical groupings of houses that arise in typically mass-production homes. Äppelträdgården and its landscape are the elements that come together to create a whole.


These atrium terraced houses with their secluded patios do not need to be at a great distance from each other to deliver privacy. This is not an exclusive area situated alongside the existing buildings, rather it will form an integral part of Frölunda.


The lanes – rooms for discussion Housing should create opportunities for the local community. Most people feel secure having other people living close to them, having places that offer opportunities for spontaneous meetings between neighbours within the community. People often feel good being able to "keep an eye" on what is going on close to them, at the same time knowing that there are neighbours to watch out for them.


The entrances to the homes come together along a narrow road that we are calling the lane. The lane is not primarily a space for cars but is a social artery and a large entrance atrium to the home. The kitchens face onto the lane, creating a safe outdoor environment surrounding the buildings in this housing estate, where toys can sometimes be left in the middle of the street. A little square opens out at the far end of the lane. This is large enough for a minibus to be able to turn around and provides a space for playing field hockey, skipping or for setting up a long table when a street party is being held.


The external lighting is principally directed downwards to avoid glare. These downlights make it possible for people to place their own objects of beauty in the light of the lamp at entrance doors or in the atrium and roof terraces – greenery from plants, a ceramic pot or some other favourite item, for example. Certain apple trees have been illuminated to ensure that people remain in contact with the garden and get beautiful views from inside their homes even when it is dark.


Freehold and tenancy rights Tenancy and freehold rights blend together along the same lane. The freeholders' parking spaces are integrated into the atrium buildings. This means no forecourts – often the places where cars and rubbish bins are kept. The narrow lanes also mean that there is a bigger space available for the communal apple orchard.


The atrium building – space for seclusion Freehold atrium buildings are available in sizes from 126 to 144m² and are on two floors. The building is arranged around an inner courtyard or atrium. The parking space and the kitchen face on to the lane, as an immediate point of contact with the neighbours. A large living room is located between the atrium courtyard and the apple orchard patio. Adjacent to the living room is a staircase leading to up to the first floor. The living room can also be subdivided here with a larger or smaller bedroom. All of the rooms, apart from one, have light and windows from more than one direction, delivering a richness of views and visual links between the floors.


The roof terrace on the first floor can be developed to give further rooms within the freehold. The house would then offer a total floor space of 144 m². The house has possibilities for outdoor patios in 4 locations with a varying degree of privacy. All bedrooms are large enough to hold double beds. This provides great flexibility over time – the first floor could contain anything from two large bedrooms and a second living room/study in open contact with the terrace, or up to five smaller bedrooms.


External configuration The atrium terrace groupings of three or four units have been configured as one whole complex with recesses for the terrace and atrium. The complex's façades and rooves are clad with fibre cement sheets in tones of red and brown. The sheets are overlapped like slates, lending the material and the complex an impression of greater individuality and higher quality. The atrium courtyard's façades are lightly painted to reflect light into the home. The garden sheds are clad with untreated larch wood which blends sensitively and expressively with the communal apple orchard.


Apartment buildings – affordable quality In the first phase and this lane, there are eleven apartment buildings of 90m² and one of 65m². The design of the floor plans and rooms generally allows for flexible use. The tenant has the choice of how to use the rooms as either living rooms or bedrooms. People can rent the terraced houses for the same price that they would pay for a rented apartment high up in a newly built multi-storey building. The difference is that here people have a home on two floors, with two patio areas in a communal apple orchard.


Why White is also the building contractor The project is a development project co-managed by White and the construction company FO Peterson & Söner, and aims to produce around 70 homes.


We are primarily taking on the same role as in all of our other commissions and projects. Having a whole construction project anchored with one firm of architects allows for a different set of priorities compared to most other projects. In the very long series of choices that have to be made from concept to finished house/housing estate, we often chose architecture and long-term economics for the buyers ahead of short-term economics for the project. This produces a result that is rather unusual – we are making a difference, to use an expression that is often over-used today. However, the economics of house building always have to be taken into account, so some of the quality features still have to be negotiated. We are learning a lot from taking full responsibility, perhaps most of all about the market.

Project Spotlight
Product Spotlight
News
10 public buildings that demonstrate architectural applications of precast concrete
27 Mar 2024 Specification
10 public buildings that demonstrate architectural applications of precast concrete

Precast concrete is made by casting concrete in a reusable mold. These molds are made of various mat... More

Sameep Padora and Associates creates a flowing, organic art center in southern India
26 Mar 2024 News
Sameep Padora & Associates creates a flowing, organic art center in southern India

Mumbai-based Sameep Padora & Associates (sP+a) has completed Hampi Art Labs in Toranagallu, a vi... More

Introducing Partner Thermory AS
26 Mar 2024 Partner News
Introducing Partner Thermory AS

Thermory AS offers a diverse product range that includes durable exterior cladding, decking, interio... More

Brooklyn Tower by ShOP Architects showcases a unique materiality
25 Mar 2024 News
Brooklyn Tower by ShOP Architects showcases a unique materiality

Brooklyn Tower, standing an impressive ninety-three stories tall with a unique neo-deco crown, is al... More

Doriana Fuksas, Martin Lesjak, Li Xiang and Steven Wright join Archello Awards 2024 jury
25 Mar 2024 Archello Awards
Doriana Fuksas, Martin Lesjak, Li Xiang and Steven Wright join Archello Awards 2024 jury

Doriana Fuksas, Martin Lesjak, Li Xiang and Steven Wright have been announced as Archello Awards 202... More

Vurpas Architectes converts former brick and concrete market into light-filled primary school in Lyon
22 Mar 2024 News
Vurpas Architectes converts former brick and concrete market into light-filled primary school in Lyon

The Eugénie Brazier school project in Lyon, France, undertaken by regional architecture studi... More

Detail: Pleated facade geometry of Bonfiglioli HQ by Peter Pichler Architecture
21 Mar 2024 Detail
Detail: Pleated facade geometry of Bonfiglioli HQ by Peter Pichler Architecture

Designed by Peter Pichler Architecture, the new Bonfiglioli Headquarters is located in Calderara di... More

Introducing Partner Linea Light Group
21 Mar 2024 Partner News
Introducing Partner Linea Light Group

Linea Light Group is an Italian company known for its innovative lighting solutions. The company off... More