The recently inaugurated Node is Sweden’s latest center for digital innovation in Kista, Stockholm. Scheiwiller Svensson architects, was commissioned by Atrium Ljungberg, designed the building that brings together research, education, art and business.
Nod will function as an open public forum and as an attractive location for small and large businesses, combined with the teaching facilities for the University of Stockholm, Department of Computer and Information Science. “How the interface between science and society can be organized with spatial purity was a major challenge in the project,” says Ari Leinonen, CEO of Scheiwiller Svensson architects.
Nod consists of a single city block with an open public passage traversing the building. The main entrance floor includes a central event hall surrounded by conference and meeting rooms, a restaurant and gym. The upper floors, portrayed as a floating form, consist of a rational structure that can easily be adapted to changing needs over time. From the center of the block rises a compact tower, known as “The Boiler”, with facilities for small businesses.
The seven-meter high entrance level has a grand-scale and robust character, with clearly marked entrances and is largely glazed facing the street. The event hall with its black painted finish, raw steel and exposed technical installations gives the feeling of an industrial workshop or a set design. The façade encircling the upper plans has an elongated elegance with horizontal divisions and rounded corners. “The three-dimensional articulated façade offers a unifying clarity with variation created through shifts in light and shadow.” says Olof Philipson, the managing architect of the project.
Many buildings in Kista are private and closed to the public realm. Our vision with Nod has been to create an open and inviting hub.
Project Details:
Location: Torshamnsgatan, Kista, Stockholm, Sweden
Type: Offices
Area: 40000 sqm
Client: Atrium Ljungberg
Architects: Scheiwiller Svensson Arkitektkontor
Architect in charge: Ari Leinonen
Project manager: Olof Philipson
Design team: Bosse Svensson, Matz Ahlstrand, Pascaline Salzedo, Ori Merom, Annali Andersson, Ivo Lejon, Erik Lundvall, Pelle Öhlin, Johanna Elmén
Photographs: Åke E:son Lindman
