Sustainable Design

Blog Post 07.16.13

Daniel Baruch, George Lee, Jonathan Kwan

We visited the Gärdetmore, Ladugårdsgärdet located to the East of the Ostermalm district, known for being a wealthy and upscale area. Within the Gärdetmore is a large open space housing horses, walking trails and amazing views. This is physically reinforced by strategic planting of trees along the perimeter which separates the city and the park, giving a sense of countryside within the city. The absence of paved roads and benches strengthened the separation of people from the urban environment. The Ladugårdsgärdet is adjacent to a number of museums as well as a landmark tower called the Kaknas Tower, one of the tallest buildings in Sweden. The tower serves as a major vantage point in the urban design to draw more visitors and attention to the park from very far away. As tourists just walking in the city, the tower automatically led us to the destination of the park and the museums on the southern part of the district including the Police Museum, Sports Museum and Tekniska Museum (Museum of Science and Technology). All of these “attractions” and points of interests led us to discover the Gärdet.

This example shows us that in urban design, elements at many different scales have to combine together to successfully create interesting, walkable, and populated spaces. In this case, the elements come together to create a moment of surprise in which the natural environment can exist within the city. We believe that spaces like these are essential amenities to a sustainable city.

The Kaknäs tower

Trees separating the city and the open space in a natural setting