Designed by Kjellander Sjöberg, their 'Paradiset 19-21' housing project creates a distinctive residential infill on Western Kungsholmen in central Stockholm. A distinctive addition with a strong urban identity, the project is a pliable mini-Manhattan, landing in the city block and building a vibrant streetscape with premises on the ground floor and inviting activities with an expressive urban character. More images and architects' description after the break.

Composed of a mix of offices and light industry, Western Kungsholmen has in recent years developed into a diverse and complex neighborhood with the emergence of complementary businesses and new housing. Paradiset 19-21, on Nordenflychtsvägen, aims to combine the existing environment with a building that accentuates and develops the city structure further. It is a building designed to fit into the neighborhood’s vernacular while providing the area with new qualities.

The project embraces the essential values of a city – diversity and a wide range of functions. K + S designed a distinct silhouette, with varying depth, materialization and textures that work both at a distance and in the immediately neighboring streets. The building’s configuration interprets the various heights of Nordenflychtsgatan and the surrounding buildings at a different scale.

A green Paradise! The project focuses on green space and social-ecological resilience. Given the dense inner city location, every available space is secured and used to provide recreation and positive experiences for the residents. The courtyard is designed as a cheerful social green space, an oasis of flowers and greenery interspersed with bicycle parking. The green roof terraces are a new addition, containing both communal and private spaces for spending time outdoors, cultivation, playing and socializing.

The architectural expression refers to a classical order found in the inner city of Stockholm – commercial space at ground level, supporting a main volume, with set-back penthouse floors on top. The sum is, however, far from traditional, but forms as a whole an innovative project, made up of a series of stacked cubes, vertically displaced; a beneficial addition to the street, of inherent complexity.