Course: City 2 Design of Urban Landscape_Chalmers University of Technology_fall 2005

Åby Berm A new urban area around Racecourse of Mölndal by Epp Jääger, Lisa Röjfors, Sofia Andersson

Analyses

The Åby area does not communicate with other town parts, because most of its deserted fields are not accessible, also because it is a sepa-rated zone in Mölndals town grid. The local habitants are forced to walk along the area which are shielded by the traffic routes. The area is missing visitor friendly green zones. Though ,the quality of the Åby area is its lively and populated feeling during horse races and training matches at sport areas in South.

Goals

1. Bring out the qualities and create new ones2. Variation, contrast, enjoyments3. Encounters, passage, happenings, connections

Explanation

1. Åby racetrack, new green areas, different activities, new dwelling area2. Yards, streets, bicycle and walking path around racetrack wall3. Settlement, different functions, people

Actions

1. Strengthen Mölndals identity and bring out Åby racecourse as one of the biggest horse racing track and entertainment arena in West-ern Sweden. The the new dwelling area will be different from others, because it will be built around the attraction (racecourse) itself.2. The main idea for urban plan is simple radial grid structure with miscellaneous dwelling types around the yards and different streets types; also to make Åby racecourse visible trough using sight lines. A park and walking path around the racecourse makes area accessible to public use.3. To make Åby lively we propose a mixed city with different dwell-ings forms, business, functions for miscellaneous people.

Design principles

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Number of houses 483Number of apartments 1700Total dwellings area 223000m2

Green areas 120000 m2

Total parking area 62000 m2

Parking area on the ground 12000 m2

Total area for other functions 14000 m2

Other functions on the ground fl. 7000 m2

Commercial & public buildings

Apartment houses, 4 floors

Apartment houses and row houses, 3 floors

Row houses, 2 floors

Urban plan

Entrance to the area from Mölndal Center

At the entrance there of the created urban area will be various functions: new and existing businesses, new dwellings, a scene and a dance field. Currently existing businesses are a paint shop, a pizza restaurant and a school. New additions could be a kinder-garten, an associations club, maybe a grocery. The Western part of the area which today consist of several businesses will be filled with other small-scale businesses.

Sport area

Sport area will be more compact and will get a new entrance building combined with parking house. The building is sticking out from road line. This makes it more visible from different directions, also helps to stop the traffic annoying traffic speed. A new hotel and multifunctional sport hall is added to area. Speed-way track is moved away and new boll fields are added instead. The camping area is moved to Western part of the area.

Åby racecourse

Åby racecourse is one of the biggest horse racing track and entertainment arena in Sweden. To make the Åby race track more visible and also to protect the new dwelling area we create a berm park around the oval track. The parking places will be partly in front of the Racecourse main building (4oo places); partly build into the berm (260 places) and underground park-ing garage (600 places). The underground garage will have over light openings in the roof. The parking place will also make more human with planted trees in between the cars.

Åby park

The core of the area is existing racecourse field. A sloping park will surround the racecourse oval. This is public park is the centre of the new area and will be used dwellers at the area, but also all the other inhabitnats of Mölndal.

Multi family houses

This area will consist of mixed multi type of dwellings on 2-4 floors: block houses and row houses . The gardens in between houses have different character and landscape design. Parking places are situated along the streets and in the underground park-ing house (400 places).

Section through the berm

Street type 1

Frölunda street is a monotone street today. Our wish is to design Frölunda street into a interesting and lively path. The addition is a walking and bicycle path on the both sides and the way and framed by planted trees.

Street type 2

Type 2 is a radial allies with planted trees, a bicycle and walking path on both sides of road and parking places under the trees.

Street type 3

Type 3 is narrowest street without parking places, though with walking paths on the sides.

Street type 5

Type 5 brings walkers and bicyclist, in focus as the middle path is used only by them.

Street type 4

Street type 4 is relatively narrow and has parking on one side.

Section

Åby berm-park

The Åby berm artificially made slope with filling mass around the racetrack. The underground parking is beneath the berm. This green area along the track is a recreational zone with possibilities to play, sit, barbecue, meet and etc. Through the park a walking and bicycle path is connecting the new dwell-ing area with the center.

Scene and dancing place

Playground, with sandbox and swings

Skating track

Bus stop

Water fall

Barbecue place

Sun terraces

Buss top

Mini golf

Bus stop

Racecourse track

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Åby berm-park

The berm park is a green park consisting different areas for several activities. A sun stairs and a scene (picture 1) is a place to have small concert, theatre or just sit and relax. The green slope (picture 2) is a place to sit and relax or having picnic. The walking and a bicycle track is circling all through the park connecting the area together.

Picture 1

Picture 2

Zoom in: Dwelling Garden

The city quarters consist of gardens surrounded of different type of dwellings such as apartment houses in 3-4 floors and city row houses in 2-3 floors. The idea is to mix different kind of dwelling forms to get good combinations of habitants and various type of architecture. This particular garden consist of 2 apartment houses in 4 floors and a row house in tree floors. In the middle of the garden is com-mon green area and a playground. The parking house is situated under the ground.

Zoom in: Dwelling Garden

The apartment houses is divided into different volumes separated by light staircases. The roof hight varies from block to block since the apartments having roof terraces. The result is various and lively architecture.The city row houses having tree floors, roof terraces and a little private garden behind the house.