Stationshuset: The rebirth of an abandoned building and its historical heritage

Abstract

In the early 1900’s, a built environment along the Iron Ore Line was brought up to support the railway’s electrification. As time passed, advancements in technology made many of these structures obsolete, resulting in their demolition. Despite their technological degeneration, the remaining buildings stand as monuments, embodying the industrial heritage of Norrland. This thesis focuses on the abandoned Torneträsk substation, proposing a speculative transformation initiated by two primary motifs. Firstly, it aims to elevate it from a decaying relic to an architectural asset that resonates with importance through its historical significance and architectural expression. Secondly, it utilizes transformation as a strategic tool to unravel the narrative around its context of Malmbanan and Sweden’s industrial heritage, consequently embedded within the building. Through site visits and archive material an extensive investigation of the building was conducted, documenting its current state through a set of “As found” drawings. Through adaptive reuse the building was altered based on observations gathered from the initial investigation by subtly superimposing new spatial scenarios to emphasize current compositions. This generated a strategy guiding these actions, dealing with the subtraction of elements, addition of new matter and care of the existing. Applying this strategy on the transformation process allows for the preservation of the building’s identity while simultaneously generating new values, treating the building as an evolving palimpsest. The project reconfigures the building’s previous typology, proposing a workplace in the form of a restaurant in relation to a dwelling. The transformation results in a number of situated interventions, testing its spatial boundaries. The outcome is represented in a fragment model and supported by drawings and visualizations that explores the duality of the building’s before and after. Through adaptive reuse, previous compositions are made visible by deliberately altering and adding elements while observing the traces left behind as tangible reminders of the building’s past. The result manifests a perception on how to revitalize an abandoned building while safeguarding its identity - recognizing transformation not just as a physical change, but also as a form of storytelling.