Part of the course City as Biotope at Bergen School of Architecture

1. the secret life of Möllevången...

2. Point of departure
Möllevången is a part of Malmö calling for much
debate and engagement.
Until recently a neglected area, the city of Malmö
and real estate investors have now started to direct
their attention here. This awakes both positive and
negative thought in the inhabitants.
The threatening or delightful gentrification is the
point of departure for this project.

3. The new subtleties
This project sets out for cherising the sub-cultural Möllevången.
It seeks to preserve, nurture and expand the qualities making
the district unique.
It strenghtens the underlying social and spatial structures,
challenging their capacity and the limits of common.

4. The courtyard spaces Defining the field of operation
The surface of Möllevången
bears layers of spatial meaning.
The flat ground is divided in
The courtyard surface quarters of vertical building
masses and the spaces in-between
them, thus composing the
urban landscape at hand.
The dense, surprising courtyards inside
the quarters are the hidden layer of the landscape.
The building mass They are the starting point of the project.
The spaces are not visible or accessible for the
random person walking by, but their
existence is well known amongst
those inhabiting the area.
The streetscape
The surface

5. Defining social qualities
The consisting components
Common for inhabitants of the space have social qualities.
The streetscape is open and public.
The building mass is in many quarters
public or otherwise accessible at the streetlevel.
This is due to cafés, restaurants, shops,
offices or public services.
Private Several buildings are, however, inhabited at the
streetlevel and therefore private.
Most of the building mass is private above
Partly public the streetlevel. This forms a barrier between
the streets and the courtyards.
The courtyards are accessible for the
Public inhabitants or users of the buildings only.

6. Mapping the streetscape The raster shows the amount
of streetscape with closed or
Mapping the courtyards The red courtyards are
surrounded with
private streetlevel. walls in every direction.
The green lines show the streetlevel
with commercial or public
programs.
The orange courtyards
have an opening
in one or more directions
(on streetlevel).
The yellow courtyards
are situated on other
than streetlevel, mostly
on the roof of the first floor.

8. Imagine a new structure emerging inside the city,a well kept secret of Möllevången.
Common, public, for voluntary organizations, random meetings, small businesses, collectives,
underground movements, neighbourhoods collaborations. For everyone in Möllevången.
Not that it is inaccessible, quite the contrary, but this you will not find in
the tourist map of Malmö. You might just stumble across it, out of curiosity, when peeping
in one of the backyard gateways.

9. Taking action
The courtyards are recharged step by step.
The structure is not rigid, but it is united by its functionality -
meeting primarily the needs of the local inhabitants - and by it’s
architectural qualities - each space brings out its uniqueness.
This ends up in varied, intense urbanity, almost a labyrinth
of unexpected experiences for a random visitor, and an ever
changing cityscape and social network for those traversing
through or acting in the spaces every day.

10. Private Re-defining social qualities
Facilities for the inhabitants of Möllevången The programming follows a simple two-directional
strategy:
These spaces are programmed for various
social services, meeting rooms, day-care help 1. The streetlevel of the courtyards
centers, non-profit cafees for elderly, is made accessible for everyone.
homework support for the young, a new library
etc. The barriers are removed and relocated
for allowing walk-through.
The spaces are accessible from the courtyard
side of the quarters. 2. Through public funding or public-private-
and voluntary collaboration, estates are
purchased inside the living quarters and
turned into facilities for Möllevångens
inhabitants.
Public and common for the inhabitants
The spaces are suitable for installations,
gardens, small plazas, ice skating rinks,
temporary bazaars, public meetins,
flea markets and outdoor theatre etc.
Public

11. 0 1 2
Over an undefined span of time, the new structure emerges and grows stronger. It eventually becomes a parallel streetscape in its own terms, inside Möllevången.
3 4 5

12. 1
In the first phase some of the courtyards are made available.
New programs are introduced.
3
In the following phases spaces inside, on top and under the building masses are reworked.
Gradually, connections between the houses arise, supporting and generating the new social realm in Möllevången.
5

13. The Poolhouse
The Birdcage Courtyard
The Greenery
The Courtyard of Greenhouses
The Hanging Bridge
The Mirror Garden
The Labyrinth of Reading Rooms
The Pit
The Little Scene
The Fill-Inn Dormitory
The Climbing Garden
The Passage of Shadows
The Silent Dome
The Corridor of Colours
The Botanic Injection
The Dancing Passage
The Urban Forest of Streetlamps