LOFT PTracing the Architectureof the Loft

smog studioPer-Johan Dahl and Caroline Dahl

4

6

The partitions adjust the level of privacy. They also contain storage, bathrooms, and shelving systems. Shaped to direct movement, the partitions capitalize on natural and artificial light to enhance multiple shades of white and gradients of gloss.

Vertical Circulation

Pa

rtiti

on

1

The Partitions

Pa

rtiti

on

2

Partition 2

Partition 1

8

The Armatures The armatures – the media device, the archive, the wet zone, and the staircase – provide amenities. While the partitions direct spatial con-tinuity and movement, the armatures complement the partitions by introducing volumes of gravity in the otherwise evanescent space.

The Staircase

The Media Device

The

Arc

hiv

e

The Wet Zone

10

Construction: Phase 1

The construction of Loft P proceeded in two phases. The first phase encompassedthe sealing of the envelope.

Shaping the raw space.

14

The white color generates a seamless transition between the enve-lope, the partitions, and the armatures. Leaving the beams intact, the ocular differentiation between whiteness and wood enhances the separation of primary and secondary structure.

The windows are positioned to let the light in, not the gaze out. Grouped in series, they mark focal points throughout the loft space.

20

Caroline Dahl was educated at Blekinge Institute of Technology (Master of Spatial Planning), and SCI-Arc, Southern California Institute of Ar-chitecture (Master of Architecture). She has worked for various public entities such as the City of Helsingborg and the City of Landskrona with responsibilities for comprehensive planning, urban renewal, and urban design. She has also been commissioned by the County Administrative Board in Skåne promoting local and regional initiatives for sustainable urban development. In concurrence with responsibilities for several ongoing design research projects at smog studio, she is also the man-ager of the research programme, FUSE, at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.

Per-Johan Dahl was educated at Lund Institute of Technology (Master of Architecture), University of Texas at Arlington (Architecture), and Blekinge Institute of Technology (Engineering). He earned a Ph.D. in Architecture at UCLA Department of Architecture and Urban Design in 2012. He has extensive experience from architectural practice with responsibilities in design, construction, and management. As an ac-claimed professional he has been appointed several board member positions both in Sweden and internationally. He is a close collabora-tor with RIEA.ch and cityLAB. In concurrence with responsibilities for

the design and construction of several projects at smog studio, he is engaged in teaching at various schools and institutions in Europe and the U.S.

smog studio is a research-oriented design practice committed to mediating the intersections and overlaps between architecture and urbanism. Drawing from the instant interaction between these two disciplines, the firm responds to the fluctuating social, cultural, geopolitical, and technological conditions of contemporary life. With the objective of investigating and expressing the complexity implic-it in modern society, smog studio masters a wide range of scales (from interior architecture to master planning) and representation techniques (computation, animation, and new media). The design in-tent and general philosophy of smog studio departures from Sergei Eisenstein’s rejection of normative tendencies, which guided him to define architecture as space construction. Contextualized in a simi-lar tradition of experiment and excellence, smog studio builds on Eisenstein’s definition by focusing on the underlying mechanisms of contemporary city building, which can be discussed in terms of space management, organization, and governance.

About the Authors

CreditsPhotographs and images in the book are credited as follows. Numbers refer to page numbers.

Caroline DahlPage: 49 (center left), 50 (bottom left) Fredrik DahlPage: 22–27, 53 (bottom left & right), 54, 56, 62, 66 (left), 71, 72 (top left), 73 (bottom center & right), 76Per-Johan DahlPage: 12/13, 19Åke E:son LindmanPage: Cover, 8, 52, 53 (top left), 55, 60 (top & right bottom), 61, 65, 67 (right), 68/69, 72 (bottom left & right), 73 (top center), 74/75Martin PalvénPage: 35, 57, 58/59, 60 (left bottom), 63, 64, 66/67 (center), 70Peter PalvénPage: 40–48, 49 (except center left), 50 (except bottom left), 51

Danny Lyon/Magnum Photos Magnum Federal ID #13–1591103Page: 14Copyright © Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, Scottsdale, AZPage: 15© 2012 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris / FLCPage: 16Courtesy of Norman McGrathPage: 20

This book represents the expanded geography that has formed the basis for smog studio since January, 2007. It draws from the schol-arly research and design experimentation that we have pursued in Los Angeles – more precisely at the architecture schools at UCLA and SCI Arc – and it demonstrates the implementation of these ex-periences through the design and construction of a loft in Malmö, Sweden. Widening our geography, we have been able to establish an intellectual design practice that we find increasingly stimulating to operate through. Cross-fertilizing ideas and manners from Southern California and Northern Europe, we like to think about this book as a signifier of the cultural diversification and the technological ramifica-tion that comprise the premises of our contemporary world.

This expanded geography would never have been possible without the encouragement and support from many people. We are particularly grateful to Dana Cuff and Jeffery Inaba who opened up academic envi-ronments feasible for us to nurture from. As Per-Johan’s dissertation research at UCLA Department of Architecture and Urban Design was instrumental for the design of Loft P, we also want to pay our gratitude to his Doctoral committee, which, headed by Professor Cuff, included Neil M. Denari, Sylvia Lavin, and Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris.

Collaboration with various peers on the other side of the Atlantic pro-vided intellectual material viable for us to use when expanding the concept of the city and challenging the normalization of space. We are particularly grateful to Abelardo Gonzalez, Guy Lafranchi, Kerstin Nilermark, and Birgitta Ramdell.

The dual ambition of working with research and design in Los Ange-les while managing the construction of space in Malmö would never have been possible without craftsmen whose skills and enthusiasm exceed the status quo of conventional industry. We are forever grateful to Sammy and Will Lewis for their genuine engagement and excellent eye for details.

We want to dedicate this book to Lena and Peter Palvén. Their commit-ment, curiosity, and unwillingness to compromise have set a standard for us in our pursuit of solutions and perceptions beyond the limitations of conformist practices.

Acknowledgements

Location: Malmö, SwedenCompleted: 2010Architecture: smog studio HB, including: Per-Johan Dahl, Caroline Dahl, Carrie Smith, Caroline MorrisProject Management: Per-Johan Dahl, Peter PalvénStructural Engineering: Uno Gansmark Byggkonsult ABContractor Phase 1: KG Bygg och Fastighet ABContractor Phase 2: Lewis & Son’sElectrical Installation: Neo El & Automation ABCarpentry and Furniture: Lewis & Son’s and Max Lund Snickeri

Project Data

ISBN 978-3-7091-1259-5

springer.at

Loft P is a full scale experiment in architecture theory and practice. Located in Malmö, Sweden, the project interconnects the production of architectural theory and the construction of physical space. Loft P demonstrates a contemporary mode of architectural practice, where the design and fabrication of architecture is managed and supervised through tactical maneuvers and new media. The outcome of the proj-ect can be described as a materialized response to the call for new dwelling typologies, adaptable to the flexibility and interconnectivity of emergent urban life styles.