snøhetta + white weave väven cultural center together in sweden

snøhetta + white weave väven cultural center together in sweden
photo © åke e:son lindman
all images courtesy of snøhetta

the scandanavian practices snøhetta and white arkitekter collaborated to design the väven cultural center, which has recently been completed and opens to the public today, november 21, 2014. the mixed-use building unites, or better yet ‘weaves’ (translation from swedish of väven), a variety of programs together on a riverfront site in umeå, sweden, and is part of a larger urban regeneration project called ‘city between the bridges’. the combination of functions includes a hotel, conference center, black-box theatre, museum, library, and more; an amalgamation that is unified by a consistent façade treatment characterized by tapering horizontal bands of glass which break up the continuous white volumes.

the building’s white volumes are broken up by tapering horizontal bands of glass
photo © åke e:son lindman

the facility stretches between two different urban zones: the existing city grid on one side and the transient and flexible public walkway along the harbor. the structure’s exterior visual patterning also references the locally prevalent birch tree, in that the white bark resembles the opaque cladding elements while the dark bands symbolize the envelope’s glazing.

for its architectural merits, the väven cultural center has been nominated for the 2014 kasper salin prize, an annual award for a swedish building or complex.

the project is part of an urban regeneration plan and aims to create a cultural area along the ume river
photo © åke e:son lindman

the building approaches a public promenade on the harbor edge 
photo © åke e:son lindman

the building’s corners are rounded to blend separate volumes together
photos © åke e:son lindman

the auditorium accommodates a mixture of events
photo © åke e:son lindman

photo © åke e:son lindman

the program includes a library
photo © åke e:son lindman

the väven cultural center has been nominated for the 2014 kasper salin prize for its architectural merits
photo © åke e:son lindman

photos © åke e:son lindman

the multicolored interiors are visible from the exterior at night
photo © åke e:son lindman

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project info:

location: umeå, sweden
completion date: 2014
size: 27,000 sqm
client: väven i umea AB / balticgruppen AB
photography: åke e:son lindman