Forum Square, or Forumtorget in Swedish, is located in the heart of Uppsala. It is part of the former Smedsgrend Lane, which connects the city's two main streets, Kungsengsgatan and Dragarsbrunnsgatan. After part of the buildings in the lane was reconstructed into a multifunctional shopping and entertainment center, and due to this, it itself was expanded, it not only acquired the status of a pedestrian zone, but also began to be called a square. In its new capacity, Forumtorget needed an improvement concept that would give this space individuality, and in June last year, the Uppsala authorities announced an architectural competition.
The functional purpose of the new space and its importance for the city center were interpreted by White Arkitekter rather wittily: since a giant shopping complex rises along the entire square, it, in their opinion, will be especially in demand by those who go shopping or returning from the store, as well as those who needs a little rest between heroic acts of shopping. And since the square has the shape of a very elongated letter "G" in the plan, according to the architects, a certain long object asked for it. At first, the authors of the project thought about a bench or designer tree pots that could be lined up in one row, but then they came to the conclusion that both of these options are rather formal, and most importantly, they lack the feeling of warmth and comfort, which is so scarce in northern latitudes. … Therefore, the bench was transformed into … a bright orange sofa, made of weatherproof materials and having a comfortable back. Both the back and the seat of the sofa will be illuminated in the dark.
This piece of street furniture has a length that is quite comparable to the length of the lane itself, however, in order to prevent it from becoming an insurmountable barrier for pedestrians, the architects in several places lowered the "seat" to the level of asphalt. This not only made it possible to create several convenient passageways, but also gave the entire structure an expressive silhouette.
In the place where the square adjoins Kungsengsgatan, it expands somewhat - the architects used this space to install a round podium stage, and a street cafe was placed opposite it. Thus, in summer Forumtorget may well become a venue for open-air concerts, and in winter it is ideal for a Christmas market.
