Designed by UK-based architectural design firm Foster + Partners in collaboration with Berg Arkitektkontor for the City of Stockholm, the new face of Stockholm at Slussen will provide new public spaces, an accessible quayside, pedestrian and cycle routes and prominent new buildings. These are designed to transform the existing infrastructure to minimize the threat of flooding and create a 21st century transport interchange.
The Slussen Masterplan Public Exhibition opened on January 24, 2010 to coincide with the start of a formal public consultation process for the new masterplan.
Plans for a major redevelopment of Slussen were proposed as many of the original design features were either redundant or unusable due to the physical deterioration of the structure. After conducting a competition, in May 2009 the city of Stockholm announced that the firm of Norman Foster had been selected to create a new master plan of the Slussen area.
The project covers an area of Stockholm adjacent to the navigation lock between the Baltic and the freshwater Lake Mälaren. The catalyst is an urgent need to replace much of the degenerated water and transportation infrastructure. The City of Stockholm is taking the opportunity to transform this important part of the capital into a new destination, creating a balance between road vehicles and pedestrians while enhancing the public realm with easier access to the waterfront. The masterplan scale and grain consciously preserve the city’s character at this historic location.
A central feature of the new Slussen is the Water Square, a pedestrian public space arranged around the new navigation lock and realigned quayside, animated by new restaurants and bars. On the Sodermalm side, the ground plane around the existing City Museum is extended out over the new below ground transport interchange and shopping mezzanine to create a series of new public spaces.
A range of mixed use buildings are integrated into the new quarter to become a dynamic urban focus for Stockholm. Slussen’s prominent waterside location opposite historic Gamla Stan will make it a magnet for the city’s best contemporary architecture, while the elegant new road and pedestrian bridges will become feature elements. Once complete, the new Slussen’s extensive public terraces will provide spectacular panoramas over Stockholm.
