Simonsland Textile Fashion Center | SWECO

In an old industrial area from 1870 in Borås lies the Textile Fashion Center, a campus and a new venue for businesses in the textile industry. The focus has been to create a new type of learning environment, where the interiors and exteriors interact. The project is a collaboration between Sweco Architects and DTH architects.
The project Textile Fashion Center, or Simonsland as the area is called, have included the conversion and extension of an old textile factory and industrial park. The architects have been involved in all project phases and have also cooperated with a local architect's office. The vision was to create a campus with a visible clarity between new and old.
The assignment covering 40,000 square meters floor area covers a number of activities all related to the textile industry, such as textile college, education for interior designers, secondary education, textile museum, and a number of growing companies. The area's new building has been designed as an exciting addition to Simonsland, with a large window that exposes the operations against the city and facade materials of corten steel plates. The area's older buildings have been restored with the ambition to recreate the original industrial atmosphere.

For the campus outdoor environments, the goal was to create a feeling that favors spontaneous meetings. All around various rooms can be discerned, like a funnel-shaped long staircase, a sundeck and a bewitching place by the river Viskan. The surfacing along with the main building is designed as a carpet in granite. It is inspired by the Jacquard weaving technique and the idea is that it should be compared with the fashion industry's runway.