Esencial AB . photos: © Victor Johansson
The existing industrial building was built in the 1950s to accommodate a glass factory. The concrete structure included a modular column grid of 7m x 7m which allows for large general spaces. The columns were originally dimensioned for a future vertical extension of the volume with one floor. This, together with the generous calculated storage loads for the original function, permitted quite a large extension for the new use today.
The project suggests a strategi for extending the existing building body upwards, in continuity with the existing one, that creates a transformed yet coherent new distinct identity where the old and the new interact in a new whole without compromising the clarity of what is new and old.
The existing façade, made of yellow ribbed brick walls, and its masonry, with horizontal and vertical simple decorations, reflects the structure of the building on the façade. The distinctive roof profile is also emphasized by the arrangement of the bricks in a border along the eaves.
The regular plan of the existing building is repeated in four new storeys and the pattern of the façade is extended in the new part of the volume. The existing facades are entirely preserved, including the characteristic roof profile of the gable, which is repeated in the section of the new roof.
The design is based on the buildings’ industrial character and aims to create a dialogue with it. The layout of the new façade mirrors the existing one: vertical and horizontal bands organize the façade in a grid that accommodates generous horizontal window openings and infilled dense sections.
The massive volume of the brick is extended by a new lighter metal addition. The outward folded edges of the sheet metal cassettes contribute to the experience of light thin layers in contrast to the heavier experience of the brick wall recesses for the windows in the original part. The chosen cladding of powder-coated metal cassettes resembles the bricks light tone with a silk-like surface and has the effect of soft shadows from the cantilevered facade flanges, which beautifully interacts with the existing brick in a similar tone.
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GLASFABRIKEN
Renovation and Addition
Adress: Virkesvägen 3. Stockholm
Building owner: Svenska Hus, Building contractor: MVB Bygg
BRUTTOAREA: Total 8490 m2
Renovation of original building: 5090m2 into Rowhouses 640m2 and Office areas 4450m2
Building addition: 3400 m2 Office areas
ARCHITECTS: Esencial AB through Carmen Izquierdo & Mariano Tellechea
Collaborating architects: Adrien Rouchet, Arvid Forsberg, Ivona Ailenei, Paula Ibiricu Ochoa, Eva Seijas, Florian Bouquet
Project: 2017-2020. Building 2020-2021
Photography: Victor Johansson
