Hammarby Sjöstad

Hammarby Sjöstad is one of the most recent additions to Stockholm's cityscape and was built between 1994-2020. Most of the buildings are located around Lake Hammarby, an area that had previously been known as the "Lugnet" industrial park. But a portion of the new neighborhood is located across the canal on Södermalm.

Initially, the idea was for "Sjöstaden" to act as the Olympic Village during the 2004 Olympic Summer Games in Stockholm, before being turned into a permanent residential area. Although Stockholm lost the bid for the games the construction went ahead. When it was completed it was comprised of 12 700 apartments, many restaurants, and shops, and had four stops along the newly constructed Tvärbanan-tram. During the expansion on the Stockholm metro, one of the new stations will be built in Hammarby Sjöstad.

The architecture is an excellent example of the urban supermodernism that was in vogue during the '90s. Simple and clean shapes and materials, that put function before form. Its central location made open spaces and daylight something of a commodity, which was compensated by large windows, balconies, and higher ceilings. Since the project took over 15 years to complete, small differences can be found when comparing the first buildings with the more recent ones. Uniform for the whole area though is its high environmental profile. Already in its planning stages, Hammarby Sjöstad was meant to spearhead sustainable city-planing. For example, Lake Hammarby and its surrounding area were restored having been polluted by the industries in "Lugnet", and eco-friendly materials were used during the construction.