1:500 proposal model

1:100 proposal model

1:100 model of the proposed Folkets Hus

A journey through the project, inspired by Camilla Läckberg

As they left the church on the bitter January morning of the funeral, they walked silently together across the old cemetery, wrapping their coats tighter to fight the biting wind. As they slowly made their way up the embedded steps in the mountain she felt the summer memories of climbing islands come flooding back – as a child she had always wanted to climb to the highest point of whatever island she was on, trying to identify the different lookouts and lighthouses in the archipelago.

As they reached the new lookout they paused to catch their breath. In the summer a crowd of tourists would always be waiting to climb up its stairs, which reminded of Badholmen’s diving tower, but today they were alone. As they entered the warm timber enclosure they were met by the stunning, frozen view. Directly ahead of them across the thick ice they could see the lookout on the island of Kråkholmen.

They descended the mountain and entered the granite enclosure of the Folkets Hus. She could still remember the time before Badis was demolished – everyone could. The building’s footprint could still be made out between the drystone walls now, its distinctive curve cutting through the rock. It had taken the local stonecutters weeks to pave and wall the granite garden, and their craftsmanship had resulted in an array of granite forms and strata, from boulders to cobbles. In spring the regional stonecutting cooperative always brought their trainees here, and new granite sculptures and benches seemed to emerge every year.

They entered the building through a narrow wooden enclosure, and after hanging their coats up and taking their shoes off, arrived at the main volume against the back of the granite fireplace. The low winter light entered the smaller meeting area – it looked so different from the summer, when it served as a café, always full of sailing tourists browsing the Internet on their laptops. As they passed the kitchen they heard the sound of plates, and she remembered that the book club had their meeting here today.

They slowed down as they entered the main space and were met by the steep rock suggesting its presence behind the deep walls. Last week she had watched the snow build and melt away down the carved channels outside, but today the low winter light bathed the roof and floor inside, and she felt the cold leaving her body. They paused to admire the archipelago horizon beyond the heavy granite stage – she personally preferred this view to that of summer, when the stage faced the outside and the local performers got to enjoy the stunning view.

Her father had particularly enjoyed extending his evening walks past the building, as the light from within played on the rock. But she preferred her morning walks, and often came here with a book early on Saturdays, when the sun would highlight the colours of the granite outside – if she was early enough, she could catch the first rays trickling into the space. She found comfort in the constant connection to the landscape outside, and the deep wall strangely reminded her of her summer morning dips, when she would sit on a bench and lean against the uneven timber wall in her bathrobe.

They turned and made their way back out into the cold. She stopped at the door to look out – through the window in the drystone wall she could see the lookout on Kråkholmen. She stepped out of the light, timber building and back onto the hard granite paving. It always amazed her how many people fit in this walled space during the summer auctions, dances and exhibitions. Now they were alone.

They turned around one of the walls and descended through the narrow stair to the waterfront. In the summer it was a cool, shady transition between the mountain and the open, glittering water, but now the steep walls protected her from the chilling wind. Straight ahead, in the distance, she could see the overwhelmingly steep walls of Kungsklyftan – the King’s Cleft.

As they emerged by the water, they saw the boathouses. Their charred wood façades reminded her of the fire that destroyed Fjällbacka’s waterfront in 1928. Inside one of them, the lights were on – it was probably one of the local artists who she knew used it as studio space. She looked back at the open stage and briefly remembered watching Casablanca here on a balmy summer evening. She then glanced at the ice she was about to walk on, and couldn’t believe it was the same water she had bathed in only a few months ago.

They stepped off the pier and onto the ice, and walked towards the cemetery on Kråkholmen. She always enjoyed the feeling that the islands were secretly accessible to them during exceptionally cold winters like this one, and today was no exception. The funeral had been stirring, but the walk through the granite landscape and out to the cemetery was refreshing. As they reached the island she couldn’t fight the usual urge to climb to the highest point, and soon found the lookout. She climbed up its familiar rhythm of steps and paused to looked back the way she’d come from.

Fjällbacka looked quiet, peaceful and bathed in a cold light – drastically different from the summer sounds of seagulls, sailing masts and swarms of people soaking up the evening sun. She couldn’t decide which view she liked best.

Fjällbacka in The Times, 5th June 2010

Linking to an existing cultural and social network

A new Folkets Hus has the potential to link to the existing institutions of the town, including the archive, library, hotels and restaurants. Together, they act as a network suitable to meet the needs of a range of programmes from exhibitions to conferences.

Some of the new spaces proposed - such as the boathouses - could be rented out to generate income for the Folkets Hus and finance exhibitions and performances.

An architectural intervention to mediate between winter and summer

Folkets Hus - a timber enclosure relating to granite horizons

The proposed Folkets Hus - light plays a key role within the building, as does the granite stage, allowed to come through from the ground below and serving as an anchor in the seasons.

The relationship between granite and timber is constant but varying in character.

A window behind the stage brings the afternoon light and also the archipelago into the room throughout the year.

A window seat within the wall allows views of the morning light playing on the rock outside, through the board on board timber cladding. This cladding is a reinterpretation of the local vernacular, adapted to include a seat and glazing. Below, an image taken at Badholmen.

At night, light from within the building plays on the rock outside.

The following collages describe the relationship between granite and timber further. A window in the walled garden lines up with the new lookout on Kråkholmen island, bringing the archipelago into the space.

Folkets Hus - a collision of past elements

The proposal for Folkets Hus takes its size from the old footprint of Badis, carved into the granite, the old Folkets Hus and the church. The church becomes a clear precedent in terms of size, being the one space in Fjällbacka which at key moments accommodates the whole town.

A network of interventions to enhance local identity

Through the introduction of new landscaped routes, boathouses, lookouts, cemetery, stage and Folkets Hus, the landscape is framed and protected from other development. All the proposed elements are reinterpretations of local symbols rather than unfamiliar, new ideas, and embrace Fjällbacka's physical and cultural heritage.

The network of proposals seeks to "provide a new channel for local history and culture", a need highlighted by the locals during the November trip.

The dual lookouts and cemeteries serve to visually link the mountain of Kvarnberget to the island of Kråkholmen, extending the perceived public space to the sea and archipelago.

Timber and granite - proposal concept

The relationship between granite and timber was identified as a key theme early in the project explorations, and has become a vital part of the proposal.

The heritage of the stonecutters is reinforced through different granite strata - drystone walls, granite paving, cuts in the rock and monolithic boulders highlight the local skills of the area and the permanent quality of the landscape.

Light timber inserts with a stage-like quality sit delicately within this granite landscape, and provide inhabited warm spaces for the winter.

Badis is identified as the epitome of summer and tourism, and is replaced by a Folkets Hus, a year-round symbol of local identity.

A vertical journey through granite

A new stair is proposed to link the waterfront to the mountain of Kvarnberget. This granite stair, enclosed by an existing drystone wall, has a narrow, vertical quality reminiscent of the 'King's Cleft', Kungsklyftan, directly in line with the stair.

In the summer, this stair would provide a cool, shady transition between the sunny, bustling waterfront and the granite mountain; in the winter, a shelter from the cold, bitter wind.

Further steps carved into the mountain take the visitor through the mountain and up to the lookout on the highest point.

A new island cemetery, access across the ice

The proposed cemetery on Kråkholmen fits within a network of existing cemeteries and responds to a growing need outlined in the Council's Local Plan.

During very cold winters, the island is accessible by foot over the thick ice, and by boat the rest of the year.

Inauguration of the cemetery on the island of Stensholmen.

Two granite rocks, two cemeteries, two lookouts

The island of Kråkholmen's strong relation to Kvarnberget has the potential to be exploited through the proposal of a new cemetery and lookout on the island. These directly respond to the existing cemetery and proposed lookout on Kvarnberget.

Strengthening these dualities helps to frame the bold landscape and extend the perceived extent of the public realm to include the sea.

The lookouts take their inspiration from Badholmen's diving tower.

Proposing the beginnings of a public waterfront

Existing plan of the area (above) and a draft proposal for a new public landscape (below). Click to enlarge!

The proposal includes five new public boathouses that can be rented out or used for events, as part of the Folkets Hus.

A new route leads the ambler from the church, through the cemetery, over the granite rock (stopping briefly at two benches to take in the framed views, or at the lookout on the top), through the walled garden of the Folkets Hus, down a granite staircase and out to a floating platform, to be used as a stage, sunbathing platform, seating area or dock for larger boats. During cold winters, this route can continue over the ice to the island of Kråkholmen, where a lookout marks the highest point.

New workshops replace the old herring factory and keep with the industrial character of the dock, potentially being used by the coastguard, fishermen, postal service and other marine industries. A mediating open space can be shared by tourists and locals, workers and visitors - the presence of the marine industries guarantees life and movement year-round.

The old sewage treatment plant can become inhabited by the local fishermen and house showers and a sauna, to be shared with sailing tourists in the summer.

A stage to frame the landscape

The façade studies continue...

Snøhetta's pavilion in Eggum, Norway, built under an existing ruin in 2007 (below)

Eduardo Souto de Moura - suggestive spaces in stone

Portuguese architects Eduardo Souto de Moura and Alvaro Siza are being studied for inspiration - they successfully combine the character and quality of traditional materials (and in particular of stone) with contemporary ideas and modern living.

Public waterfronts - possibilities

The proposal seeks to recover the lost edge between granite and water. The collage above suggests a new treatment of this boundary.


But there are plenty of possibilities for the waterfront:

The Bregenz Festival (above) is an annual event - a temporary floating stage is built on Lake Constance to showcase operas, plays and concerts during a month every summer, attracting thousands of spectators.


The Forum bathing area in Barcelona uses floating structures to enclose areas for swimming.

Embedding identity in a granite volume

Fjällbacka's memories and identity are embedded in granite - a large, flexible exhibition/celebration space is thus imagined as a monolithic granite volume. Its character changes as the seasonal light changes.

Timber inserts within this volume guarantee warm spaces in the cold, bitter winters.

Some areas are open to the views of the archipelago, others are enclosed to create dramatic contrasts. A new route draws the visitor towards the building through a sheltered, walled garden - this garden looks up to the towering mountain, encouraging the visitor to inhabit the rock and climb to the top.

A new network of lookouts

Childhood memories of exploring unfamiliar islands brought a realisation: don't we always want to climb to the highest point, get the best view, understand the character of the island we stand on and the landscape that surrounds us?

Several lookouts already exist in the archipelago, like those of Väderöarna and Dyngön - these are prominent physical references that attract plenty of visitors. Local artist Peter Engberg's 'Nödhamn' (above) is humorous, but serves to illustrate their powerful quality.

A renewed network of lookouts - utkikar - is thus proposed to frame the bold landscape and establish visual markers within the vast view of granite islands. The drawing above suggests two lookouts linking Kråkholmen island to the site.

Folkets Hus - imagining a new façade

The elements of the façade - street level stage, vertical access block and main hall - are being tested and explored through tentative collages.

Understanding the rock

The rock has the potential to be landscaped and considered as a whole, but its character and zones need to be understood first. An open space and two clefts/lines can be identified, leading towards Badis. Could these lines inform public routes within the rock? Could the open spaces accommodate performance areas or benches to take in the view? Could the lines be continued into the water?