Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Today, there are few industries left in our cities. Industrial areas that
are located in urban settings close to water or city centers are often
replaced by housing. In my thesis I want to explore how such industrial
site located in an urban setting can be transformed into an
industrial park where the industrial structures are saved. By approaching
this type of environment in a positive manner, I wish to
highlight the potential aesthetic and functional value in the existing
industrial structure. Through the transformation and design of an
existing industrial site I will convey the previous use and history of
the place.

The wastewater treatment plant, Kungsängsverket, is located in the
district of Kungsängen in the southern part of Uppsala. Kungsängen
is an area that consists of industries and offices, however in
the last couple of years it has begun transforming with the establishment
of new housing close to the city centre and Fyrisån. Kungsängen
is the first planned industrial area in Uppsala, since the late
19th century. When approaching Uppsala from the south several of
Kungsängens industrial buildings are made visible as a part of the
city silhouette.

The wastewater treatment plant is the largest continuous industrial
structure in the district of Kungsängen. It has gradually expanded
since its establishment in the 1940s. This area works well for the
application of an industrial park this due to the fact that the layout
of the plant and its structures create a continuous area close to the
city centre. The treatment plant is located in the first industrial area
that was planned in Uppsala which now faces a major transformation.
The history of Kungsängen can be conveyed by accentuating
the industrial structures in a public park.

In my design proposal for the park it is my goal to create a unique
park in Uppsala, a park that complements the traditional parks situated
on the west side of Fyrisån by its park uses and design expressions.
I want to emphasize the meaning of industrial history in
Kungsängen in general and in Kungsängsverket in particular and
how it has affected the development of the city of Uppsala. The
park will become a place where technology, industrial history and
aesthetics unite. The park will also offer activities that currently are
missing in other public places in Uppsala.

The thesis consists of three main parts:
The first part, industrial environments in change is based on written
material on existing transformations of industrial land. Three
examples of transformations from industrial sites to industrial parks
are further compared and discussed.

Part two, kungsängen and the treatment plant, provide a background to
the district of Kungsängen. This acts as a background to the area
in Kungsängen which I make a design proposal for in part three.
The municipality of Uppsala has recently developed a program for
Kungsängen and it is put in relation to the idea for my thesis. A briefing
of the industrial history of Uppsala with emphasis on Kungsängen
and the treatment plant gives a historical background to the
site. Methods used in this section are literature studies and site visits
with a tour of Kungsängsverket treatment plant.

Part three, design, consists of the design proposal that transforms
the treatment plant in Kungsängen to a public park. Methods used
here are site visits, inventory and analysis of the site followed by
sketching and design reviews throughout the design process.