MSc Architecture, Royal Institute of Technology
Year 1, Autumn 2022
Studio (RE-), Group work (two people)
Year 1, Autumn 2022
Studio (RE-), Group work (two people)
In project 2 of the autumn semester, we were asked to carry out an intervention to our respective buildings in groups of two. My colleague and I chose to work with the corner entrance of NK, located in the junction between Hamngatan and Regeringsgatan, and connected to Sergelgången. We decided to develop this part of NK due to its centrality and high pedestrian movement from many directions. The corner entrance currently appears as dark, of low maintenance and generally not a nice place to walk through.
We wanted to enhance the entrance experience through:
1. Lighten and open up with new surface materials and lighting.
2. Create a more efficient flow.
3. Bring back the lightwell that was filled in on the floors 1-4 when the corner was first opened up in 1984.
The corner has gone through four major layout changes throughout the years. The original design by Boberg was enclosed with an entrance facing Hamngatan and leading directly into the small lightwell. Boberg also had a second alternative of creating a round shaped walkway through the corner. In 1984, the corner was opened up, and the small lightwell was filled in on the 1-4 floor. Escalators were installed to connect the entrance to Sergelgången which can be found one floor below. The entrance was later rotated to face the traffic junction, and ‘NK korv och glass’ opened. In 2014, some additional changes were made. To conclude, the corner has been through several changes.
As seen on the facade, our intervention is not very evident from the outside, however the interior changes we have made are quite extensive. In our proposed design, we have replaced the existing escalators with a staircase that extends as you enter the corner from Sergelgången. We have centered the entrance, with shop windows on both sides, and the NK Kiosk at the far left side. The new light well runs through all floors as it did in its original design, but its shape and size has been adjusted to align with the new entrance, the existing interior circulation and allow for more natural daylight. In the centre of the lightwell, there is a flower shop; with it's convenient location, customers can come by on their way out.
A striped floor pattern can be found in Sergelgången and on parts of the ground floor pavement, which we have continued in our entrance design. The floor tiles are of green unpolished natural stone in two different tones. We changed some of the existing columns to resemble the ones in the Hamngatan entrance. This would be done using precast concrete parts around the existing columns. The ceiling is of rippled metal sheets and for lighting we have downlights in the ceiling as well as lamps mounted on the columns.
Model Photo
Model Photo
