Stenpiren Transport Hub | Sweco Architects AB

AWARDS AND NOMINATIONS

Stenpiren was awarden Swedens most prestigious award for landscape design, Sienapriset, in 2017 by Architects Sweden.The building won the also won the prize Future Transport Award 2015 in the category Public Transport.

The building was nominated to Per & Alma Ohlsson fond  for Best building  in Gothenburg 2017. The entire project was first stage shortlisted for Best lighting design in 2017 by the newspaper Ljuskultur, Swedens foremost magazine for lighting design. Similarly, the project was first stage shortlisted Trafikverkets Architectural Prize. (Swedish Road Authorities)

A MEETING PLACE BY THE RIVER

The Stenpiren public transport hub is an example of urban renewal where new conditions and refined solutions have created added value on a meta level. It is finally possible to get close to and enjoy the river in central Gothenburg. The people of the city have embraced this fact and the place is well visited and highly appreciated by the public.

 NATURAL CONTACT WITH THE WATER

The Stenpiren transport hub, handles around 12,000 travellers per day, and is located by the Göta River, which divides the city into two halves. The entire area around Skeppsbron, where Stenpiren lies, was given dramatically changed conditions when the Göta Tunnel road tunnel was completed just over ten years ago. For decades, heavy road traffic had cut off the city centre from the river. But with the new development of Skeppsbron, it has been possible to recreate and revitalize the city’s historical contact with the water.

 The Stenpiren transport hub consists of a series of rooms or spaces: Skeppsbroplatsen square, the Stenpiren pier, the bus/tram stops, the south-facing square in front of the terminal building and the large floating dock.

 STRONG FOCUS ON MATERIALS AND DETAILS

There has been consistent focus on the choice of materials, detail solutions and elevation, not least to ensure accessibility but also to offer an appealing whole. To erase the boundaries between inside and out, grey granite has been used with joints extending on both sides of the terminal building’s glass facade. The building thus appears to have been placed on a larger “tray”. As an accent, we chose black diabase that is found, for example, in the striped pavement on Stenpiren.

 The placement of the new building affects Stenpiren’s natural elasticity out into the river, but by accentuating the pier in the urban space with the help of light masts and ground treatment, the site has been visually elongated and given a stronger sense of presence and a unique identity.

 To ensure accessibility to the floating dock, which is affected by high and low tides, spacious ramps have been built in different lengths. The back edge of the floating dock towards land features built-in seating that is used by both waiting passengers and visitors who come to enjoy the sunset or spectacular views of the estuary to the west.

 PATTERNS OF MOVEMENT IN THE CITY AND ACROSS THE RIVER

The redevelopment of Skeppsbron includes urban blocks, streets, squares, a large park, a quayside path with docks and piers and a new public transport hub. 

By gathering bus, tram and ferry traffic in a transport hub, the site has contributed to new patterns of movement in the city and across the river. After its transformation, the previously somewhat inaccessible and barren site stands out as an initial exclamation point.

 LIGHTING - SECURITY AND EXPERIENCE

Lighting of the area has been of major importance in shaping Stenpiren, from both a security and user experience standpoint. Virtually all lighting is dimmed or hidden in railings and handrails. In this way we were able to create a clear perimeter along the water, against which people moving across the darker spaces stand out in contrast. The light masts at Stenpiren, which are visible from afar, welcome visitors with their warm and gentle glow.

ABOUT STENPIREN TRANSPORT HUB

Name of the object: Stenpiren transport hub
Address: Skeppsbron, Gothenburg, Sweden

Sweco provided all the disciplines necessary for the project, including: Architecture, landscape architecture, lighting design, project management, structural engineering, construction engineering, all technical installation and infrastructure engineering, traffic planning, environmental studies and aspects, etc. Sweco was involved all the way from pre-studies to detail design.

Landscape:
Sweco Architects
Responsible Landscape Architect: Henrik Fogelklou
Team: Hanna Gustafsson, Hanna Hjalmarsson, Marcus Isaksson, Maria Modin,
Malin Mirsch, Urban Rickardsson

Client: Trafikkontoret, Göteborgs stad
Contractor: Skanska Sverige AB, region Väg och Anläggning

Architecture
Sweco Architects
Responsible Architects: Pekka Leppänen, Björn Hylander
Team: Maja Pettersson, Thomas Johansson, Brita Palm, Karl-Johan Törngren, Guisli Benito, PeGe Hillinge.

Client: Västtrafik AB
Contractor: NCC

Environmental classification: Miljöbyggnad Guld
Completed in: August 2016

Company: SWECO Architects, Skånegatan 3, Gothenburg, Sweden