For a long time now, the plaza, Kungsbacka Torg, has acted as a car park with little space left for normal hustle and bustle. Now the square has been transformed back into the central meeting place for the town’s inhabitants.
The design of the square respects its history but adds modern elements. A checked pattern, like a carpet, marks out the area of the square, creating a bond with the surrounding properties and respecting the lay-out of the town’s old grid pattern. The checked pattern creates flexibility, ensuring that the square can be used for many different purposes. The granite pavement is varied, marking out main walkways along streets and façades.
The square is once again taking up the role of the place where meetings happen. Beside the original church, a natural stage has been created on which events can be held while vehicular traffic is closed off on the street “Norra Torggatan”, allowing space for open-air cafés. The old ruined church is highlighted by different paving pattern then the surrounding plaza.
The center piece of the plaza are the benches within the church ruin. The design concept was to manifest the history of the place but also to add the social function of sitting or lying down. The benches are placed in rows, to associate to the old church benches that used to stand on the spot in the church from the 15th century. The design of the benches is simple almost ascetic, but by varying the height the aspiration was to add a playful dimension.
In contrast to the hard surface of the square, the southern part is covered by a grove of cherry trees where the canopy of the trees helps create a square that changes with the seasons. White is also the designers behind the two pavilions on the square and the square’s lighting design.
Kungsbacka Square | Kungsbacka, Sweden | White arkitekter
Team | Sam Keshavarz, Paula Mackenzie, Ulla Antonsson, Mikaela Åström Forsgren
Client | Kungsbacka Municipality
Text | White arkitekter
Area: 7500 sqm
Photography | Photographer Per Kårehed
Plan Image | White arkitekter
