apartment building in stockholm by claesson koivisto rune

claesson koivisto rune designs apartment building in stockholm using handmade bricks
all images courtesy of claesson koivisto rune

swedish multidisciplinary studio claesson koivisto rune has designed their first apartment building using handmade danish bricks. named ‘obelisken 29’, the project is located in the city’s södermalm district. the scheme consists of 20 brand new penthouse apartments with terraces and balconies, added to the roof of an existing 1960s building. ‘when we were commissioned the obelisken 29 project we asked ourselves: what do we dream of for our homes?’, says eero koivisto. ‘a lot of it is about light, space, view, quality, openness, a sense of freedom, good plans that provides a natural flow without limitations – all of which we have tried to capture.’

a range of different brick types are used

when two storey penthouses are built the bedrooms are often upstairs and kitchen and living room areas are downstairs, a remnant of housing at ground level where it feels safer to sleep upstairs. for ‘obelisken 29’, this has been reversed. the lower ‘box’ is more closed than the upper, which is filled with light that enters through large glass partitions. the penthouses boast, among other things, specially-designed door handles, railings, parapets, kitchen doorknobs, wallpapers, windowsills, and sliding glass doors.

terraces and balconies encourage outdoor living

‘you arrive at the upper floor, via lift, and enter a generous space,’ explains ola rune. ‘that’s where you want to be. when you become tired you just go downstairs to bed. we have designed as much as possible of the fixed interior details. it was commonplace in the 1930s for architects to be given the opportunity to custom design the interiors of their buildings, but today this requires an unusually sensitive developer. it gives absolutely unique attributes and makes this building and its apartments a gesamtkunstwerk.’

lounge area

the 1960s building, on which the penthouse apartments are built, was constructed as a long monochrome block. claesson koivisto rune has transformed the monotonous complex by dividing its length into four, where each part is given its own color: three shades of grey and a terracotta. ‘this way the building fits in better with the other buildings along the street, gaining a the smaller scale appearance, which is typical for stockholm,’ continues rune. ‘the colour scheme was selected from the fantastic bricks that we are using. they are also colors typical for stockholm. the division of the building makes the street more intimate and enjoyable I think.’ danish company petersen tegl were chosen to produce the handmade bricks.

open-plan living space

‘the quality aspect is of course also a key factor,’ concludes mårten claesson. ‘by the use of materials like solid wood, marble and handmade brick and building techniques like seamless tiling, the idea is to build with the same quality as around the turn of the 20th century, but with a contemporary expression. stockholm is our town and we feel obliged to leave behind something we are proud of and that can last for a hundred years.’

‘obelisken 29’ is scheduled to complete in january 2016.

light-filled bedroom