Selma Lagerlöf Centre

A diverse and flexible building

In addition to municipal offices, the building programme includes a library, theatre, café and restaurant, meeting rooms, media rooms, dance and music halls. Combining a cultural programme with municipal administration in the same building was an interesting challenge for the design team; flexible spaces were designed to accommodate the shared programme.

The Re-use Strategy

When we analysed the costs for the project, we found that it was almost 70 percent cheaper to focus on maximising the use of reused furniture and materials rather than buying new products.

The re-use strategy was based on three main elements. Firstly, furniture was reused from six separate existing organisations that would later be moving their activities into the centre. Secondly, used furniture was procured as a complement to the items that already existed. And thirdly, used materials were purchased for the site-built interiors and to make new furniture.

The exterior of Selma Cultural Centre showcases the hive of activity within. By treating all façades with the same focus and attention to detail, there is neither a front entrance nor back entrance; and in regards to programme, there is no visible hierarchy in terms of which can be seen from the exterior. Exterior façades are cast from raw corrugated concrete that contrasts with warm copper-toned metal details, inside and out.

Inside, an exposed concrete frame, visible precast concrete walls and ceiling components and elegant polished concrete floors create a blank canvas for creativity. A glass-roofed atrium runs through the structure, covering light-filled meeting areas, with the main staircase and the traversing foot bridges contained within a concrete shell.

The work on the Selma Lagerlöf Centre has shown how crucial it is to have a clear process in order to succeed with a re-use project. The most important is to determine the ambitions at an early stage of the project, to set goals for the amounts of reused materials and to set a time schedule. The Selma Lagerlöf Centre is one of the foremost examples of how it is possible to work in new ways. By adapting the design process and always basing our work on what already exists, we can further the transition towards circular architecture.