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FOCUS AREA:
Circularity
Screened-off space for focused work. Neo Lite chair,
Serie P desk and Vibe partition screen.
FACTS
Client: Rosengård Library, City of Malmö
Location: Malmö, Sweden
Architect: White Arkitekter
Number of floors: 3
Completed: 2023
design concepts in order to last over time. Kinnarps
helped collect, renovate, update and adapt existing
furniture for the new building, including the Wilson
bench, Trix sofa and Invito armchair.
One important factor in a truly sustainable circular
flow is that the furniture is made in a sustainable
way from the outset, using environmentally friendly
and high-quality materials. Maria Roijer explains that
Kinnarps’ reputation in Sweden’s public sector for being
good at sustainability made it the obvious choice.
“It’s about everything from their production in Sweden
and carefully planned deliveries to knowing that
the products are durable and can also be renovated
in the future to ensure long-term sustainability,
from an economic perspective as well,” she says.
The three floors of the new library have different
functions, and the interior design features wood, nature
and muted colours, with themes such as sea, forest,
fields, haze and twilight. The ground floor of the library
includes the reception, adult department, drop-in areas,
study spaces, a magazine corner and stage. The first
floor is furnished for children and young people, with
cosy reading spaces, story rooms and study spaces, a
café, as well as staff rooms with workstations, meeting
rooms and a pleasant lounge. And on the second floor,
there are flexible rooms for co-working and association
activities, as well as a spacious roof terrace.
“It’s not just visitors who love the new library.
Staff well-being has also been enhanced, due in no
small part to our new social spaces, which provide
a natural meeting space. While all the public areas are
popular, the armchairs next to the stairs up to the first
floor seem to be an especially big hit – a quiet and
secluded place with a nice view,” says Maria Roijer.
She also wants to remind people that the reuse has
contributed to the effective use of taxpayer money,
which creates pride among staff and legitimacy for
library operations among the citizens. “On the subject
of sustainability, you could say that all our activities
aim to contribute towards social sustainability, at
the same time as we have to be environmentally and
economically sustainable. Kinnarps has worked hard
to convert what were quite general wishes and ideas
into specific furniture that satisfies our requirements
and our vision of being an inspiring, inclusive and safe
everyday space.”
Open-plan study and workstations. Vagabond meeting
table, Neo chair, Serie P desk and Vibe partition screen.