anders berensson architects versatile surfaces in swedish outdoors store

anders berensson architects has designed a transforming interior space in stockholm, built with local wood and a rotating centerpiece. ‘camp fenix’. an office space for the outdoor company group ‘fenix outdoor’, which includes brands like fjällräven, primus and tierra, transforms from office to showroom to lecture hall just by flipping a central wall.

the designers made an office that doubles as a getaway base camp for the companies: they can be close to nature while developing new products for the outdoors. therefore, the office was adapted for activities in the nearby forest and blend into its natural surroundings. fallen trees from the very same forest is also the building material for the new office interiors.

anders berensson architects designed the main space to be a multi-use room that could be an office, showroom and a lecture space. to enable this versatility, a central wall was designed to rotate and move depending on the need of the space. to occupy as an office, the wall is rotated to a giant central table to work on. when having lectures, the wall is turned and lifted to the ceiling and as a showroom, the wall is flipped to a central display wall in the middle of the room. the table is covered with locally fallen elm trees due to an ongoing elm-tree disease. the table is attached to a gear wheel that makes it turn which sits on a guide rail to make the table move vertically.

to rotate the table easily, it has an inner structure of carbon fiber to make it light and in addition, it is balanced with counterweights alongside the guide rail. the shelves along both walls are also transformable to support the different needs of the room. when being in office mode, the furniture serves as shelves and desks. when being in showroom mode, the shelves are transformed into clothes hangers. the shelves are constructed so the shelves are resting on round rods that can be moved to different positions making it flexible, multiuse furniture.

the shelf system is also made from local harvest elm trees. the camp is based in norra djurgården nationalstadspark, a national city park in the middle of stockholm. the park is owned and maintained by kungliga djugråds förvaltningen (the royal court) and has a great variety of big, years-old trees. through a great collaboration the designers were able to build a major part of the office from locally fallen wood.

the exterior deck that is protected by a roof is also made from elm trees whereas the more exposed wood decks are made from local pine trees. apart from finding building material on site some parts of the interior also comes from the company’s own storage like the draperies made from fjällrävens g1000 fabric normally used in jackets.

due to the office’s proximity to a park, the designers made sure the employees could enjoy it. the space is therefore programmed to allow outdoor excursions and training. apart from toilets, the entrance area has three separate shower rooms, a washing machine and a drying cabinet for post-excursion clean up.

the office implements a swedish custom that might seem silly, the no-shoes rule. the rule dramatically improves the soundscape of the space, minimizes wear and need of cleaning. since some years ago fjällräven already established a ‘no-shoes’ base camp for their ambassador training on the upper floor of the building. anders berensson architects is proud to have been part o that project as well. this new space is a natural continuation to the firm’s commitment to nature and being outdoors while developing their products and exploration culture.

project info:

designers: anders berensson architects

client: fenix group

project name: camp fenix

project type: retail interiors

location: stockholm, sweden

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edited by: cristina gomez | designboom