Different types of buildings and much more characterized structures assembled on a low podium in the proposal of Norell/Rodhe for Skellefteå Kulturhus. Titled Supergroup, the competition entry is a cultural centre, comprised of several interlocking building volumes, located in Skellefteå in northern Sweden.

In the Supergroup, the characterized proposal combined new cultural center and hotel in Skellefteå, gathers several existing cultural institutions. It features a theatre, two art galleries, a library, a conference center and a hotel as a set of individual buildings grouped on top of a low podium. 

In this way, each institution retains some of its independent identity, while simultaneously allowing for productive adjacencies with neighboring institutions. On the exterior, each building mass acquires its own character based on figure, proportions, and planar rotation. 

The interior is characterized by a short span timber structure with densely arrayed columns that emphasize the direction of each building. Shared and communal spaces are created in the podium as well as in intersections between building volumes. The interior becomes a dense urban condition with junctions, piazzas and landmarks – a city without streets consisting solely of tightly packed architecture.

The project’s coloration reflects traditional use of luminous, colored plaster on facades in Skellefteå, and its glulam timber structure explores the opportunities offered by local expertise and industrial processing of timber.

Project Facts

Architect: Norell/Rodhe
Location: Skellefteå, Sweden
Team: Daniel Norell, Einar Rodhe, Aron Fidjeland
Structural engineering: Raphael Le Gall och John Möller, Sweco

All images courtesy of Norell/Rodhe

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