Marge+Ramboll+Umeå

Purpose and goal:

The aim for this project was to produce idea sketches for the beautiful, inclusive and sustainable Umeå of the future, which provide qualities for the people and nature on site. We presented a strategy with tools for how this could be achieved, based on the following concepts: refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose and recycle. In short it suggests growth through quality instead of quantity.

The existing setting is proposed to be developed and strengthened from a social, economic and ecological perspective, before new land is exploited to achieve resilient and inclusive living environments. Expected results and effects:

The ambition that our sketches would be visionary and innovative yet rooted in feasibility has been the common thread throughout our process. With our example in the Mariehem district were we able to come up with concrete proposals on how the district with its adjacent green areas could be developed. The ideas for how the areas qualities could be strengthened and developed in a resilient and sustainable way were illustrated in pictures and descriptions.

Approach and implementation:

Our team is composed to cover areas in architecture, landscape, urban planning, social sustainability, recycling, degrowth and green conversion. As architects we are used to looking at the conditions of the site, future scenarios and coming up with innovative proposals based on conceptually strong ideas. As a result of the team’s different experiences and professions, we want to believe that the proposal became both innovative and visionary, but still feasible and grounded in reality, which was our ambition.