Project name: Vision for Heden
Size: 5000 apartments
Stage: Vision
Team: Daniel Andersson

Heden square hi res
Heden birds view hi res
Heden siteplan hi res
Heden PDF

Vision for Heden has been made as a final thesis by Daniel Andersson with Fredrik Kjellgren and Joakim Kaminsky as tutors.

Today Heden is an open field in the middle of Gothenburg. It is used for fotball fields, parking lots and a hotel.

It could house 5000 apartments and become a green lung for the Gothenburgians.

New Heden connects to the surrounding urban grid with continuous walkways and cycle paths. All vehicles pass outside Heden to maintain the green environment in the new area.

The middle of the area opens up to a larger square for events and other cultural activities.

VISION
In order to meet the demands for more housing units and a denser city centre in Gothenburg Heden can not be left overseen any longer. It holds a rare potential of becoming a new settlement in the city centre with everything that the city offers in close its proximity. Attractions like the Liseberg theme park, the World culture museum, the main shopping street Avenyn and the soccer stadium Ullevi all lie nearby.

Heden is an area that many Gothenburgians has a personal opinion about. Asking a Gothenburgian about the future of Heden often results in deep discussions. After interviews a conceptual vision of a new Heden has emerged:

"With a unique identity of sustainable densification the new town block Heden creates a vision of a garden block that connects green space, healthy lifestyle and pleasant surroundings to a modern living atmosphere."

NEW URBAN STRUCTURE
New Heden connects to the surrounding urban grid with continues walkways and cycle paths. All vehicles pass outside Heden to maintain the garden environment in the new area. The middle of the area opens up to a larger square for events and other cultural activities.

Vasagatan and kristinelundsgatan passes through Heden to remove the existing barrier between Avenyn and Skånegatan. Vasagatan is dimensioned to let trams pass through the area with a stop at the new square in the heart of new Heden.

An underground car park is planned underneath Heden it supplies parking not only for Heden, but also for visitors to the city centre.

NEW BUILDINGS
The new buildings create a diverse but homogeneous development which gives room for parks and open spaces with a strong identity that demonstrates ecological planning and pleasant living environment. The houses are built as sliced hills with grass roofs that can be walked upon.

The building heights follow the surrounding buildings outside Heden and grow higher towards the middle of Heden to approximately 60 meters. Small trails wander up the hills to picnic spots with beautiful views of Gothenburg. The roofs also hold allotments and small parks.

The new building area in Heden will generate approximately 5000 new apartments with good location in the heart of Gothenburg.

A SUSTAINABLE HEDEN
New Heden looks green from above. Even though denser developed it has a much greater biomass than its predecessor. Local cultivation of fruits and vegetables is a natural part of living in the area. Grass roofs and parks enrich the animal life and plant life and let nature become an integrated part of the city centre. They also absorb rain water that can be purified and reused as household water. The buildings are well insulated with low energy consumption. Since situated closely to existing public transportation the residents are not depending on cars in their daily life.

RECREATION
Heden has previously served Gothenburg with soccer fields, an ice rink and spaces for supplementary sporting events. Soccer is an activity that by its nature requires more space than other sports and should for that reason be located outside the main city centre.

New Heden holds spaces for sports and activities that require less space. Activities that otherwise have difficulties finding spaces should have priority. The area holds three large spaces dedicated to sports activities, events and performances. New Heden is a multicultural and multifunctional meeting place for activities otherwise exercised in isolation.

FINAL THESIS
Vision for Heden is a part of a final thesis made by Daniel Andersson at Jönköping University investigating the theme of parametric design. Fredrik Kjellgren and Joakim Kaminsky has supervised the project with a critical eye. Software investigated is rhino and associative parametric plugin Grasshopper.