Restoration through architecture multisensory pavilions and the adaptive reuse of the harbour office on Gothenburg's coast

Abstract

In today´s society individuals are expected to meet many demands, and as a result overwhelming stress has become increasingly common. These challenges are often amplified during winter in Sweden, where many self-reports “winter blues”. To ease such symptoms it is often recommended to spend time outdoors, and research shows that being in, on, or near the sea has positive impact on wellbeing and reduces stress. Gothenburg´s west mainland coast features several public bathing spots, all very popular in summer. However, there are currently no non-commercial public facilities that support extended stays by the seaside in the colder, more windy and rainy seasons. The purpose of this thesis is to develop a site-specific design proposal that supports wellbeing in winter. Using a multisensory and adaptive reuse approach, the aim is to transform Fiskebäck, located on Gothenburg´s west mainland coast and currently lacking public facilities for winter, into a restorative public place that offers extended visits during winter. This thesis explores the following research questions: How can spatial architectural interventions transform a public seaside site on Gothenburg’s mainland coast to support wellbeing during winter? How can the Harbour Office building in Fiskebäck be adapted to provide public use and sensory engagement during winter? Theory and literature of multisensory architecture, adaptive reuse and wellbeing formed the theoretical framework for the thesis. The sensorial concepts explored are Light, Enclosure, Temperature of Space, Sound of Space and Smell of Space. Site-specific mappings of boundaries and landscape typologies identified key placements, transparency and tactile terrain qualities. Reference projects were studied to extract architectural features, which informed a conceptual design strategy toolbox. These tools were tested through iterative design development to answer the research questions. The proposal includes four architectural interventions: The adaptive reuse of the Harbour Office building, and West, South and East Pavilions, each with distinct experential focus. Together they form a site journey and sequence of spaces where architecture becomes a medium to engage the human senses, support wellbeing and strenghten the relationship with the natural seaside environment in winter.