Vasaparken, one of the largest and most visited parks in the inner city of Stockholm has recently been completed after several years of restoration. The restoration is one of the most profound renewals of public parks that have taken place in Stockholm for decades.
It is the first example of a more radical transformation of an old 19th century park to a park that meets today’s needs and requirements.

Stockholm 19th century; crowded and unhealthy
Vasaparken was established in the late 19th century when Stockholm was one of the most crowded and unhealthy capitals in Europe. The politicians at that time spoke for more healthy living conditions with attention paid to exercise, sunbathing and sports. On old plans of Vasaparken one can read 'open place for free activities'.

That shows what Vasaparken could offer compared to other parks at that time which where more meant for strolling and more low-key activities. When the Olympics were held in Stockholm in 1912, the free spaces of Vasaparken became a practice arena. Since then the grass fields of Vasaparken has been utilized for more 'free activities'.
Contemporary needs in an old park structure
In a series of consultations with the inhabitants in the neighbourhood, the city of Stockholm has captured the viewpoints of the users. The aim of the project was to meet contemporary needs in an old park structure. The redevelopment is one of the most radical and extensive park transformations in Stockholm in later years and the first example of how an old park can be transformed to a more updated urban space both in regard to function and the visual output.

Grontmij’s landscape architects have worked with the project from the first sketches to the last stage, which was completed in late 2006. Vasaparken has become a concern not only for the district users, but also for people from the outskirts of Stockholm who uses the park as meeting and hanging out place.

Details about the project

Grass field
The open grass field of Vasaparken had been a problem for a long time. Despite several restorations the visitors’ load had quickly turned the grass into a hard-packed soil ground. To meet the high user frequency an artificial grass turf combined with an ice skating field has been incorporated into the park structure. A design challenge has been to melt these features into the park rather than transforming Vasaparken into the language of a sports field.

Different terraces
Another structuring tool has been the different terraces that are situated along the slopes that frames the grass lawn. The terraces consist of low, straight walls that assemble different programmed activities such as seating combined with flowering, boule, mini golf, “balconies” which shoots out from the upper street level and other hang-out spots in the park. The terraces face the lawn and in that respect become a gallery for the more vibrant activities of the open activity field.

Playground
Another important focus is the new playground situated in the centre of the park. Different play activities are arranged in an undulating landscape made of orange rubber. This new landscape is an interpretation of the parks natural topography. The terrain and the structure of the playground aim to stimulate a different reading to new ways of playing where every function is not given at first place.

Methods
One method that was applied in the project parallel and in coherence with the design process was the implementation of a sociotope study. Sociotope studies are new planning guideline used by the Planning Administration in Stockholm based on new concepts for public interests (as a complement to the accepted concept of the 'biotope').

A definition of a sociotope is 'The commonly experienced and used (life world) place of a specific culture'. The concept raises the questions 'For whom?', 'For what?' and 'Where?'. A sociotopic map of a city district describes the common everyday life qualities of open space, green, grey or blue, public or private. The 'specific culture' is in this case the citizens of Stockholm.

In this project the sociotope study was applied in the scale of an urban park in order to gain as many qualities within the frames of the project as possible. Some of the values that this study led to and which the design supported were:

relaxation for stressed urban inhabitants;
a diversity of public meeting places for cultural integration;
a 'second' living room for people in confined quarters;
places for the non-organised sports for spontaneous activities that complement the organised elite;
environments for children to discover the world;
active and social places for youths.

Veronika Borg, Business Manager Grontmij, is proud: “I am of course very proud that our team has won this prestigious Siena prize for the second year in a row. But we are even more proud to see that the inhabitants of the city so lovingly appreciate our bold design in this preserved historical park.
 
It is especially fun to see that both kids and grown-ups take so much delight in the opportunities offered here. Even in a green and spacious country like Sweden, our cities are very dense. Both adults and children need access to green lungs, which offer opportunities for spontaneous sport and play around the corner.” Veronika Borg, Business Unit Manager, Architecture in Sweden

Program: Renewal of a public park
Designer: Grontmij AB; Anders Falk, Anders Kling, Veronika Borg, Sofia Nylén, Ulrika Petzelius, Alf Orvesten
Client: Municipality of Stockholm, Bodil Hammarberg
Design period: 2002-2005
Implementation period: 2004-2006