Prerequisites and assignments

The assignment from the Environmental Protection Agency and the County Board in Västra Götaland was to design new buildings around the entrance to Tresticklan National Park. Based on the conditions of the landscape and the history of the area, a structure of wooden logs was created that stretches towards the sky. The ambition has been to be seen in the conditions of the forest without solid walls or ceilings. Boundaries are blurred and the construction becomes one with nature.

The site includes a unique and exciting natural area that has been depopulated. People used to live here, but now there are only a few summer houses. No infrastructure has ever been developed, but there are remains in the forest and during the Second World War, people from Norway had an infection route to Sweden through the national park.

Take a seat without being seen

Together with the County Administrative Board, we have studied the location of the new information building, how to meet it, its design and direction in relation to nature. Inspired by the old remains and that this could be like a structure or construction left behind and turned gray in the forest. The design of the building brings to mind an old abandoned frame, an alien form left behind in the forest from the time when people still lived here.

A simple geometric shape, with two identical halves, together form the national parks hexagonal logo when viewed from above among the pines.
A glass roof has been placed inside the structure so that it is still perceived as open, while providing protection. The building stands in a clearing on a natural elevation and that was also part of the premise. It can’t be taller or bigger than it is, it just fits – simple and marked by caution.

Buildings for toilets and storage have been built next to the newly constructed car park, and a couple of hundred meters into the forest you will find the new information building. The geometric shape creates a shadow play that moves around the building and temporarily claims the forest. Beyond that, it is only there to mark the location and protect the visitor.