Stefan Sjöberg is Director and Founding Partner at the Swedish architectural studio Kjellander Sjöberg. At the conference Bevaring & Kreativ Transformation 17-18 March in Aarhus, he will talk about the transformation of Gjuteriet in Malmö, located in the former industrial wharf, Varvsstaden.
In this article, you can read an interview with Stefan Sjöberg.
Can you tell us a bit about your professional background and your approach to building conservation and transformation?
– In our practice, Kjellander Sjöberg, we see our key role as architects to amend, improve and contribute to places that already exist, learning from people who already use them. Repairing urban conditions and communities is something we do in our masterplan projects through responsive strategies that are about establishing dialogues and relationships. Through this experience, over the last 15 years, it has been quite natural for us to pursue regeneration projects and conservation of heritage buildings, where there already are things in place; structural or tectonic principles, and traces of use. A lived history that we can base new concepts on. It is satisfying not having to start on a blank canvas.
How important do you think existing buildings are in solving future building needs compared to new construction?
– I think this depends on what lens we apply, on how we frame that question. A regenerative approach would indicate that we need to exceed the net-zero baseline and have a positive impact – on carbon, ecosystem services, social value and more – on every project we do. If we succeed – we might keep building new areas and urban places. Otherwise, the starting question should be if we must build at all, looking critically at the role of growth and perceived societal needs. If we commit to staying within the planetary boundaries, existing buildings will play a key role. We should tailor bespoke uses to them in transformation projects, rather than trying too hard to fit a specific use into any existing building.
What do you see as the biggest barriers to getting the industry to prioritize preservation and transformation over new construction?
– Often it is the expectations on what existing buildings can deliver, in terms of how much – or little – they can contain or what use they can be transformed into. Basically, how they can be utilised as a financial transaction based on initial limited knowledge. In this process, it would be useful with national codes to recognise that a transformation project might not fully perform on all levels to the same extent as a new build, for example in accessibility or energy performance terms. What if we were required to first come up with evidence of what a specific derelict building could be used for, testing designs for various flexible uses before receiving a demolition permit? Acknowledgement of this would enable more structures to be preserved.
Can you name one or two projects that you find particularly inspiring in the field of conservation or transformation?
– Personally, I think we need to adopt a very hands-on practice to taking care of existing buildings. They might be of a more utilitarian character, not always of a great beauty and with few evident architectural qualities. There is a need to address regeneration in a less traditionally aesthetic way or at least adopt a new type of looser aesthetic based on sustainability principles. Which to us architects would mean to do as little as possible, to enable new uses and to extend lifespans of the already built utilising a minimum of planetary resources.
– Having said this, I still remember encountering good examples early on, that changed my perception of what preservation of built heritage can be and what it can do, adding a poignant narrative. These key works are for instance Carlo Scarpa´s Castelvecchio Museum formulating a story, Sverre Fehn´s Hedmark Museum or Kolumba by Peter Zumthor.
What is your main focus at the “Bevaring og Kreativ Transformation” conference? And can you already mention a few of your key points?
– The main point is that successful sustainability in transformation projects is an ecosystem, a series of connected strategies, and rarely a one-liner. There is never just one answer. Every response to climate-efficient preservation needs to be specific and come from researching opportunities in existing structural frames, exterior walls, foundations, etc. Use what is there already.
Do you want to hear more about transformations of existing buildings from Stefan Sjöberg?
Join the new conference Bevaring & Kreativ Transformation 17-18 March in Aarhus. Read more and sign up here.
