Danish architecture firm Cobe and Swedish architecture firm Yellon have won a competition to design residential tower at Stockholm's historic gasworks in Sweden.

Called Stadsljus, the residential tower, reaching at 110 meters above sea level, is situated on the site of Stockholm’s former historic gasworks. 

The project is developed by OBOS, one of the largest housing developers in Scandinavia, together with the City of Stockholm.

Paying homage the historical significance of the site, Stadsljus is intended to redefine the flat city fabric of Stockholm. 

The 36,000-square-metre tower will house approximately 300 apartments of different sizes, alongside a ground-floor restaurant and preschool. Its distinctive circular shape draws inspiration from the historical gasholders of the site.

Described as "a new circular landmark", the residential tower's circular design not only pays homage to the site’s historic gasometers, but also attributes to a cohesive family of circular buildings in the former gasworks grounds. 

"Located in Stockholm’s Royal Seaport, one of the city’s largest urban redevelopment areas in the northeast of the Swedish capital, the site has been an industrial area characterized by gas production for over 100 years," said Cobe. 

"In operation until 2004, the site features several distinctive cylindrical gasholders with significant architectural and cultural value, among them are the architect Ferdinand Boberg’s two brick gasometers from the late 1890’s." 

"Some gasholders have been preserved and repurposed, while Gashol- der 4 has been demolished and is to be replaced with a new residential building, named ‘Stadsljus’ (City Light), with the same height as the former holder," the firm explained.

Drawn with three bundled cylinders, the tower is defined as "the next generation gasometer within a volume ideally suited for housing."

"A harmonious family of gasholders"

"With its combination of three cylinders, ‘Stadsljus’ is as an interpretation of the historical gasometers from the site," said Chief architects from Cobe and Yellon, Dan Stubbergaard and Fredric Scherman. 

"The residential tower not only reflects the essence of its time and purpose but, standing alongside its historic counterparts, forms a harmonious family of gasholders that will grace the Stockholm skyline while en- riching its local surroundings," Stubbergaard and Scherman added.

Housing for people in all phases of life

The building will contain approximately 300 apartments of various sizes – from space-efficient studios to spacious apartments. 

Moreover, 20 percent of the apartments will be offered through a co-ownership model, making it possible for more people to buy a home in "Stadsljus". 

Made up of three clustered cylinders, the design offers optimal conditions for natural light within each apartment. Thanks to its distinctive shape, it allows for units to face multiple directions, with spectacular panoramic views over Stockholm, while many units have one or more terraces.

"After a thorough and comprehensive process in collaboration with the City of Stockholm, we are now very pleased to present the winning entry for ‘Stadsljus’," said CEO of OBOS, Daniel Kjørberg Siraj. 

"The winning team has succeeded in combining contemporary residences and high architectural quality with a strong connection to the culturally and historically valuable site that is the gasworks area."

"With residences in various sizes and price ranges, ‘Stadsljus’ will become a home for people in all phases of life, and that is how we, as a member organization, want to build homes," Siraj added.

The tower has a distinct base, body, and crown, inspired by the surrounding gasometers. An open brick base draws inspiration from the brick facade of the historic Boberg gasholders and contains public functions such as a restaurant and a preschool. 

Inspired by the rational and repetitive steel skeleton of another nearby gasholder, the body of the tower consists of a modular, three-dimensional metal façade, subtly capturing daylight on its angled surfaces. 

Finally, the crown is a tribute to the top of the Boberg gasholders with a faceted and pitched roof and a pronounced overhang, making a distinctive mark on Stockholm’s skyline, while featuring solar cells and concealing technical devices.

Cobe and Yellon will utilize a modular and prefabricated façade assembly system for the construction, to be efficient in terms of time, economy, production, and precision. 

The façade will be made up of a modular skeleton containing closed wall panels, windows, doors and balconies, that allows for various configurations to strike the right balance between variety and rationality, while ensuring optimal indoor climate in each apartment.

The construction start is planned for 2026, with the full occupancy is expected from 2029.

Cobe recently completed The Opera Park, a new park situated at a former industrial island in Copenhagen’s inner harbor in Denmark. Additionally, Cobe and Finnish Lundén Architecture Company won a competition to design a municipal building in the Finnish city of Espoo, Finland. 

The firm is designing a new university library in the heart of Sweden’s second-largest city, Gothenburg. The firm revealed design for a design center for global automaker Geely in Sweden.

Yellon is a multidisciplinary firm that innovates products and places through architecture, design and communication. Founded in 1989, the firm has offices in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö and Jönköping.

Project facts

Project name: Stadsljus

Architects: Cobe and Yellon

Location: Stockholm, Sweden

Client: OBOS

Size: 36,000m2

Engineers: Structor Bygg and Bengt Dahlgren

Time period: 1st prize in competition in 2023. 

All images © Cobe and Yellon.

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