Temporary Market Hall on Östermalmstorg
Basic information
Project Title
Full project title
Category
Project Description
The Temporary Market Hall centrally located in Stockholm is a prefabricated timber structure that is designed for ease of construction and after fulfilling its function will be re-used for another purpose at a different location. Winner of several architectural design awards the building has been a popular success with almost twice as many visitors as the adjacent historic Market Hall under the period of its refurbishment while attracting people from a broad cross section of society.
Project Region
EU Programme or fund
Description of the project
Summary
The historic Market Hall located in Östermalm, was in desperate need of modernizing and during the period of its refurbishment there was a need to create a temporary Market Hall on the adjacent square.
In order to be able to house all the existing market functions it was necessary for the building to occupy the entire open area of the square. It was therefore important to turn the temporary loss of a much-appreciated urban space into a positive addition to the urban fabric by applying considerable care to the design of the building. It required a sense of quality befitting the local context and the historic Market Hall while using light weight, cost efficient and sustainable materials befitting the temporary nature of the building.
Our goal with the conceptual design has been to reflect the principles and grandeur of the historic Market Hall while working with modern prefabricated modular techniques. We have created a large hall with a generous ceiling height and good daylight penetration from the facades and from 6 triangular roof lights. With an entrance strategically located on each of the building’s four facades, the existing flow of pedestrian traffic is able continue across the square through the Market Hall during opening hours.
The building has an exposed timber structure consisting of a latticework of glulam beams resting on columns of cross laminated timber. The large-scale structure has a modular mounting system that enables quick erection and dismantling with the possibility for subsequent reuse at another location. The relative light weight of the structure meant that a minimal concrete foundation was possible, and it is also a renewable resource with a negative carbon footprint.
Winner of several architectural design awards the building has been a popular success with almost twice as many visitors as the adjacent historic Market Hall under the period of its refurbishment while attracting people from a broad cross section
Key objectives for sustainability
The two key sustainability objectives of the project were to use a renewable resource of material with negative carbon dioxide footprint and to create a building that had the possibility to be easily dismantled and reassembled at another location.
The building has an exposed timber structure consisting of a latticework of glulam beams resting on columns of cross laminated timber. It takes the forests of Sweden less than 60 seconds to grow the volume of timber needed for the building’s structure. It is prefabricated with a modular mounting system that enables quick erection and dismantling. The choice of timber had a number of advantages. The relative light weight of the structure meant that a minimal concrete foundation was possible saving time and money and further reduced the carbon footprint.
Now that the refurbishment of the Historic Market Hall is complete, and the temporary Market Hall is no longer needed, it has been purchased by Wallenstam Property Development to be repurposed at another location. At the time of writing the dismantling of the temporary Market Hall is almost complete and the erection at the new location is planned for the second half of 2021.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
The temporary structure is located on the square adjacent to the historic Market Hall. In order to be able to house all the market traders and the associated support functions it was necessary for the building to occupy the entire open area of the square. It was therefore important to turn the temporary loss of a much-appreciated urban space into a positive addition to the urban fabric by applying considerable care to the design of the building. It required a sense of quality befitting the local context and the historic Market Hall in order to retain clientele and be attractive to the local community and beyond.
Our goal with the conceptual design has been to reflect the principles and grandeur of the historic Market Hall while working with modern prefabricated modular techniques. We have created a large hall with a generous ceiling height of 9-11m and good daylight penetration from the short facades but also from clerestory lights spanning the long facades and from 6 triangular roof lights. To enable level entry access from all sides of the building we decided that the floor slab would follow the slope of the site. With an entrance strategically located on each of the building’s four facades, the existing flow of pedestrian traffic is able continue across the square through the Market Hall during opening hours.
The temporary building's facades consist of a lower band clad in vertical untreated pine battens of varying sizes. Along the short facades it gives way to glazing providing views into the Market Hall and views out for restaurant diners. The upper section of the façade is completely clad in a modular system of translucent multiwall polycarbonate sheeting. The material has a good insulation value while allowing large amounts of daylight into the building. This effect is reversed at nighttime when the cladding it is lit up like a glowing lantern illuminating the square and its surroundings.
Key objectives for inclusion
The historic Market Hall is located in Östermalm, an affluent neighborhood positioned right in the center of Stockholm. It has a reputation for high quality produce and is closely associated with the wealthy residents from the local area. The Market Hall tenants were concerned that a temporary building would have difficulty meeting their client’s expectations and that this would result in a loss of business. We on the other hand saw the opportunity to not only meet their expectations but to provide them with a new experience that was also more accessible to a broader range of clientele.
The modern design of the temporary building and its informal nature and use of cost-efficient materials sparked curiosity and a strong attraction. The conscious retention of the existing pedestrian routes across the city square within the new building and the level entrances on all four facades have maximized physical access.
The temporary structure has been a popular success with almost twice as many visitors per week as the historic Market Hall and an increase in the market trader’s turnover of up to 50%.
Results in relation to category
A major challenge when designing a temporary building for a specific function and location in a short space of time is how to create circularity in the construction process when the use of an existing modular system did not meet the complex requirements and important goals of the project. By creating a modular structure of renewable materials with generous internal dimensions and a high level of esthetic attraction we increased the likelihood of the building being re-used and re-purposed after its initial temporary function was complete. The fact that Wallenstam Property Development has purchased the building with the intention to re-use is evidence of the value that we have managed to create and the incentive to re-use instead of demolish.
How Citizens benefit
Citizens have not been involved in the development of the project.
Innovative character
The innovative character of the project is that we have created an attractive building associated with high quality while using simple renewable materials and a construction system that is both quick to erect and dismantle and has the possibility to be re-used.
