Älvrummet 3: forming the new River Centre of Gothenburg with previously used materials

Abstract

Älvrummet is a visitor’s centre with the purpose of informing and educating the people of Gothenburg about the urban development around the river Göta Älv. Although it is called Älvrummet, the exhibition has little to nothing to do with the river itself. Since 2018 Älvrummet has also been almost invisible to those who don’t know where to look for it, since it is hiding within an office building on Lindholmen. This thesis presents a design proposal for a new building for Älvrummet, a solitaire building with a distinctive appearance that is available to more people - both those that seek for it and those that just happen to pass by. By making Älvrummet a floating building it can be moved along the river and dock to different places along the quay. This makes it more visible and accessible at the same time as it finally makes sense of its name. Furthermore, this thesis explores the possibility of designing with previously used materials and suggests a design proposal that consists mainly of such. The architecture of the building aims to tell the story of the materials at the same time as the story of the materials helps to give the building a history already from the beginning. The outcome of this thesis is a floating building made from almost only previously used materials that invites the people of Gothenburg to step out onto the river to learn more about the urban development, look at the view or just buy a cup of coffee. Either way, the architecture tells the story of the past, the present and the future of the muddy ditch we call Göta Älv.