Town halls and train stations rarely boast designs that are much more than perfunctory, but Swedish studio White Arkitekter has designed a new combined-use building that it hopes will become “a new public living room for the city of Växjö.”

The “Under One Roof” proposal, which won a competition for the design of a new station and city hall in Växjö, is a classic example of how a building can be created to be more than just its basic function. By accomodating several functions and linking different parts of the city, it will not just be a place for travellers and city hall visitors, but a place for meeting and spending time.

The living room aspect of the design is not just metaphorical either, but takes the form of a public meeting space at the centre of the building. Here, there are spaces to sit and relax, as too are there built into the building’s staircases. Its other public meeting spaces include a new park, a square and a green-roofed wooden bridge with seating. The building will also house a tourist office, an exhibition area, a waiting room, cafés and shops, meeting rooms and a workplace for city hall employees.

There are three entrances to the 14,000-sq m (150,700-sq ft) building, providing access from different areas of the city, while access to different levels of the building via its staircases is centred around the central living room space. These features were noted by the competition judges, who voted unanimously for the building from a shortlist of five, as offering good connectivity.

 “The proposal presents a coherent and characterful building with a strong expression, a new silhouette and a new landmark for Växjö…” the judges are quoted as saying by White. “The building has three main entrances that connect well to the city’s structure. The entrances intertwine elegantly in the interior, creating ‘Växjö’s living room’, a beautiful vertical wooden room that connects all the building’s different levels … Overall, the winning proposal is an elaborate building which is able to meet Växjö’s requirements and intentions of a sustainable future throughout.”

Glass and wood feature heavily in the building’s design, which will ensure a warmth and brightness to the feel of the interior. Smart and sustainable features, meanwhile, are included with a view to achieving Sweden’s highest environment certification. A north-east oriented sloping roof, for example, will reduce the building’s size and lower energy consumption, and the design is also aimed at minimizing the amount of materials and waste required for construction.

The building’s multifunctionality, coupled with its striking looks, make a compelling proposition where brand and venue marketing are concerned. A strong visual brand could easily take cues from its distinctive and contemporary style, while a strategy focused on shared time and togetherness could be drawn out of its “public living room” concept. Fundamentally, the sort of placemaking design employed, which puts people at its centre, actively promotes the creation of spaces in which people want to spend time, live, work and relax.

Source: White Arkitekter | Images: Tegmark

As an expert in placemaking communications, Active Profile seeks out inspiring projects from around the world for insight and commentary. There's more detailed info about placemaking in our ebook Effective Placemaking Communications For Your Mixed-Use Development, Volume 1: Explore, which you can download for free.