Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

This is not a Magazine. But a Degree Project for a Master of Science at the Department of Landscape Planning at SLU Alnarp. The project concerns Guldfabriken, a real estate in Malmö. Guldfabriken is currently transforming, both in content and appearance. The transformation of the building is manifested physically through fresh plaster on the outside, new broad glass panels and a redesigned interior. The identity of Guldfabriken is changing. So is the context of the site: Malmö is growing, and Guldfabriken´s area Västra hamnen changes rapidly through the current urban development. The change of a specific site is very much what this Degree Project is about. In focus stands an inner yard that is to be developed.

My role in this process of change has been the one of the practicing Landscape Architect, who in dialogue with the Contractor has designed the outdoor environment of Guldfabriken. Several aspects define this assignment as a Degree Project. In part, it can be considered an examination to become a journeyman, where skills and knowledge achieved at Alnarp can be demonstrated. Additionally, the project has in itself developed into a practice where I have been able to study my own actions throughout the process. My aim has been to gain an intense awareness of possible strategies in design concerning the field of Landscape Architecture. But not the least, the Degree Project contains an enhanced level of exploring performance, more intense than what in general is generated in a consultant office.

The presentation of the project mimics that of the Magazine, caused by its correspondence in character with both the project and my Contractor: rapid, updated and transient. At first, we are given a brief introduction to Guldfabriken and its surroundings (page 8). Subsequently, the proposal for new landscape layout presented (page 10). The Contractor shares his opinion of the progression of the project in an interview on page 23. In the project, the physical model has been an essential ingredient, and more about the models´ important participation can be found on page 26. Relating to that context, Agneta Persson, former Plan Director of the fair Bo01 in Malmö, reflects upon the use of models during the work with the "secret gardens" of the fair (page 34). In a review on page 22, Maria Carlsson evaluates the Landscape design of Guldfabriken, performed in this project. And Martina Fingeroos makes an interview with me, focusing on my perceived experience concerning the working process and its methods, see page 48. In another interview on page 60, Anders Larsson reveals the historical background from the days when Guldfabriken truly was a factory processing silver and gold. From White Architects, Jitka Svensson considers the phenomena of the yard over a lunch discussion (page 52). Finally, a brief survey presents Guldfabriken in relation to the planning process carried out by the City of Malmö, here represented by city planners Petter Brunskog and Malena Larsvall on page 70 and 71. Enjoy!