Varvsstaden – back to the future

06 Apr 2018 – 17 May 2018

Exhibition

At the former Kockums dockyard in the heart of central Malmö, 180,000 square metres of historical industrial land will be transformed into a new city district. When old industrial landscapes become the focus of urban regeneration they are often erased from the map. Both their previous identity and valuable material resources are thereby lost. The exhibition “Varvsstaden – back to the future" shows the unique possibilities of reusing existing materials.

Foto: Petra Bindel

The former shipyard district Varvsstaden is a key part of the history of Malmö’s development and has played an important role in the lives and daily activities of numerous generations of Malmö residents. The shipyard was part of Malmö’s identity and strongly influenced the city’s culture. Malmö’s industrial past is embedded in the old buildings of the Kockums shipbuilding company, and the raw, sturdy and patinated materials all tell the story of the site’s previous existence. It is therefore both important and necessary to give serious consideration to the various materials on the site.

- In order to be able to create a new, sustainable city district and also to continue building on Varvsstaden’s history and identity, it is logical to exploit the potential of the significant material resources that the area already possesses, says Hanne Birk, Development Manager Varvsstaden AB.

The company Varvsstaden AB has therefore commissioned the production of a documentary collection, which consists of three parts: Compass, Ideas Catalogue and Materials Catalogue.

Exploiting the existing materials
This exhibition is based on the Ideas Catalogue, which aims to provide insight into the many possibilities of reusing the existing materials in future projects. The Ideas Catalogue makes it clear what a valuable resource the materials are, because they can generate new business opportunities, give the district a unique character, and save the environment large amounts of CO2 emissions. The Ideas Catalogue also gives an overview of the most commonly occurring types of materials that exist in the various Varvstaden buildings (concrete, brick, glass, steel and wood). A totally new concept in urban renewal is that these materials are considered to be Varvstaden’s Materials Bank, which makes it possible for variously appropriate materials to become new resources via recycling, reuse or upcycling in the future city district.

Varvsstaden AB’s aim is to make the maximum use of the site’s unique conditions by exploiting existing materials to build a new, sustainable urban district and thereby retain Varvstaden’s distinctive and unique character.