Uppsala (SE)

SITE / CONTEXT

Uppsala, Sweden’s fourth-largest city is committed to becoming climate neutral by 2030.The city aims to be inclusive and cohesive, working alongside residents, property owners, and local communities to achieve this.Architecture serves as a tool to support these ambitions, offering spatial solutions to the challenges faced.With its two universities and a strong business hub, particularly in life sciences, Uppsala is a thriving and dynamic city. It is located just 18 minutes from Arlanda International Airport and 30 minutes from Stockholm by train.
Gottsunda is the heart of southern Uppsala. The area was planned as a satellite city approximately 6 km south of the city centre. Gottsunda is a green district with a strong identity, a wide range of cultural and sports activities, and the popular Gottsunda Centre at its core. Gottsunda was planned in the 60s, and like many areas from that time has had major challenges with unemployment and security. Through joint efforts, the municipality, property owners and local actors have succeeded in reversing the trend. Gottsunda is now well on its way to becoming a safer and more attractive area to live and work in.
Gottsunda is now being transformed into a denser urban district with more than 5,000 new homes and public facilities, including a new school, a public swimming pool, a library, and cultural institutions. As Gottsunda undergoes these changes, the central area is set to be further developed to establish itself as a strong heart of southern Uppsala. In 2024, construction began on a new tramway that will connect the district to Uppsala Central Station, the new Uppsala Södra train station in Bergsbrunna, nearby districts, and the city’s two universities. New buildings will be integrated into existing spaces between current buildings and roads, framing streets, public spaces, and parks.
The competition area includes Gottsunda Centre, the adjacent parking lot, and surrounding land. By relocating cars from the current surface parking lot to a mobility hub, land will be freed up for a mixed-use development that includes housing, public functions, and other facilities. Gottsunda Centre will open up and be developed to connect the new denser urban corridor along the tramway to the surrounding housing areas, creating an attractive, green, and safe urban node.
Hemmaplan has owned Gottsunda Centre since late 2022.The centre is a dynamic space offering development opportunities for both local residents and businesses. In its first year, Hemmaplan has created more than 100 new jobs and, through its incubator, contributed to the launch of several new local businesses. It has transformed a 320-meter-long concrete facade into a vibrant outdoor dining area and taken the first steps in creating the centre’s own urban garden. Most importantly, Hemmaplan has worked alongside tenants and customers to develop the centre and, by extension, Gottsunda.

QUESTIONS TO THE COMPETITORS

The competition task is to shape a new urban structure within the competition area.The participants are to propose 600 new homes, a preschool, a square east of the centre, green corridors with connections to surrounding parks and nature such as Gottsundagipen, urban farming, and other activity areas.The task includes developing the Gottsunda Centre building to be more attractive and open, and to propose new content and functions for the existing public swimming pool.
How do you design a cohesive urban structure that integrates the Gottsunda Centre, new public spaces, and housing blocks with the planned urban corridor and the surrounding neighbourhoods, parks, and infrastructure?
How can the facilities of a bathhouse be given new opportunities and purposes?