Rosengard is an existing, impoverished neighborhood in Malmo, Sweden that has no identity. Its history, originating in the 1970’s, can be summarized as a single, abrupt architectural gesture that was violently implanted on an area cleared of its past. The neighborhood was in need of new urban layers to add nourishment and complexity.

Our project aimed to do this through the creation of a new city center: Rosentown.  A principal part of the project included a transferal of history and urbanity from historic central Malmö, re-injecting center city values to to the neighborhood. However, at its core the project needed to make a strong, new gesture that would be visible from afar.  The Rosentower was implanted and a unifying urban concept was developed around it.

The Buttericks iconic stone building from the center of Malmo serves as the foundation for the future Rosentower. Recently disassembled, it will be rebuilt in Rosentown. A brick volume is placed upon this foundation.  A third volume, emblematic of sustainable building, forms the top of the tower: it is a vertical, ten-level wood structure that is based on the timber barn.  It glimmers with aluminum cladding that is dyed “Falun red,” the color of the Swedish countryside.

A parking deck completes the composition. This contemporary construction of etched glass is recessed into the ground at the base of the tower.

In conclusion, the street surface of the future Rosentown is that of a true downtown. Its material palette is colored brick and stone, consistent with the facades of the tower.  It becomes a legitimate context.