Älgö kulturhus

Place: Nacka, Stockholm
Type: Living, working and exhibition space
Year: 2005-2010
Project group: Clara Abreau, Ola Broms Wessel, Anna Chavepayre, Klas Ruin, Catarina Santos, Christina Shutrick, artist and gardener Simon Häggblom.
Client: artist Mikael Richter
Photo: Malcolm Hanes 

From the island of Älgö you reach the Stockholm city centre in 20 minutes.  Former summerhouse areas of this kind are gradually changing into integrated commuter suburbs. The project is conducted in close collaboration with the client, Mikael Richter, a well established artist working mainly with larger public commissions questioning the barriers of privacy in public space. The building process is integrated in and part of his practice as an artist.  The exterior staircase continues the route of the entrance road and lead to a roof terrace from which you have a panoramic view of the archipelago. The façade partly consists of an oversized textile net reaching out among the trees, deforming the building volume and creating additional covered outdoor spaces.  The limited budget is used as a challenge. Structural solutions, choice of materials and character of the space is taken from the world of large scale industrial buildings.  

More information is found on Mikael Richter’s webpage www.konst.org