Project Description
People commonly refer to the travel centre in the Öbacka district, built for the Bothnia Line, as “the chocolate biscuit”. The facility is an important part of the city plan that connects the railway with the hospital and the campus through a distinctive diagonal (Lasarettsbacken/Daniel Naezéns Gata). The waiting room, a sharply defined space with facades slating outwards, straddles the double track. This design, in which glass predominates, reflects the spirit of the times upon arrival. The diagonal laminated wood sections in different dimensions, which normally would serve a constructive purpose, in this version create character and play a stabilising role in suspension of the glass. From outside the sunscreen partially cancels out the desired sense of a shimmering lantern, but inside the perception is light and airy.
A spacious passages takes visitors from the station under the Holmsund Road (Blue Highway), which is illuminated both with lighting and from a window facing the river. As a result, the passage has been transformed into a pleasant expanse, despite difficult conditions. The decoration painted on tile walls contributes to this effect. The architect has chosen to design the building space, which includes the approach to the hospital, as a kind of miniature version of the travel centre. To the west a park has been laid out that is dominated by a long narrow pond with surrounding perennials. The running water creates a calming atmosphere and visually connects the park with the Ume River and the stream emptying into the river.
Arkitekt: White Arkitekter, Lennart Sjögren, 2008.
Konstnär: Astrid Sylwan.
Planarkitekt: Olle Forsgren och Patrik Forsberg, 2008.
