Mandaworks and Hosper Sweden Win Floda City Center Competition

The urban planning proposal "Down by the River," designed by Mandaworks and Hosper Sweden, has won the architectural competition for the future city center of Floda, a small community near Gothenburg, Sweden.

The competition was organized by the Municipality of Lerum and the Swedish Association of Architects in collaboration with Floda Torg Fastighets AB and Kusebacka Stiftelsen / Garveriet. The 59 received proposals were exhibited in Floda and seen by over 700 visitors. The competition was organized to inspire new visions for the future development of Floda's central area. The intention is that the winning teams will be involved in further planning.

Project Description from the Architects:

The gushing water from Sävelången to Säveån is the power behind Floda. A city historically formed around the water, Down by the River, recognizes the force of the water in Floda and utilizes the potential of future connections to focus Floda’s future on the water.

The jury recognized Down by the River by saying the following:

“Down by the River focuses on and develops Floda’s strongest qualities: water, nature and Garveriet. The public spaces along Säveån refine and develop Floda’s existing character and identity as a community around the water. The proposal’s hook is the Blue Square - an innovative reinterpretation of the square as a public space where the rushing river creates a natural spectacle all year round."

In Down by the River, four key bridges form the starting point for four new development areas that grow from their specific contexts. In each of the development areas, the existing characters of the site are strengthened while new additions help weave together Floda’s center.

 

Proposed settlements are concentrated around the river to support the new connections and bring life to Floda’s waterfront. A variety of building typologies create a mixed use center that allows living, business and service to contribute to a vibrant downtown. Collectively, the proposed densification creates proximity between people and functions, and in turn leads to a pedestrian friendly center and thus more sustainable community. 

The jury concluded by saying, “The proposal is robust and with distinct qualities that can lead an urban transformation process with many stakeholders, consultations, and public involvement processes. The future planning process will enable the qualities of the proposal to be progressively refined.”

Mandaworks and Hosper Sweden have worked together in close cooperation for several years. The two offices main focus is landscape architecture and urban planning and have utilized this knowledge to develop a platform for urban design.  Mandaworks started in the Netherlands in 2009 and was established in 2010 as a limited company in Sweden. The founder and owner is Martin Arfalk.  Hosper, a Dutch office, established a Swedish office under the direction of Patrick Verhoeven in 2006.

The proposal "Down by the River," included the following participants: Martin Arfalk, Patrick Verhoeven, Nicholas Bigelow, David Bonsib, Gregorio Chierici, Anne Nijland, Marlene Thelandersson and Katarzyna Paradzińska.