The British bureau "Caruso Saint-John" and the Danish architect Dorte Mandrup-Poulsen created, according to the jury, the works with the greatest potential for further development.
Particularly challenging for the architects was the fact that the building site sits on the edge of the historic center of Kalmar - one of Sweden's best-preserved old towns - and includes the remains of a rampart. This monument of fortification had to be not only preserved, but also beaten in some way: a park will be laid out around the new building, which will become an important recreational zone for the city. It was also important not to create dissonance between the headquarters of Gota Media (where the Barometern editorial office will also be located) and the nearby development area of the 17-19 centuries.
As conceived by Dorte Mandrup-Poulsen, its construction "straddles" the rampart, located on it terraces, where, among other things, a public cafe will open. The building will be divided into several volumes, which will make it easier to fit into both the historical and natural landscape.
Caruso Saint John offered a more traditional solution: a 3-storey transparent volume, combining, in the opinion of the jury, Swedish functionalism with a permeability reminiscent of the Japanese tradition between the interior and the surrounding space.
Now both finalists will be offered to finalize their projects in accordance with the organizers' comments.
