Architecture and the chocolate factory

Abstract

The Latin word for the cocoa tree Theobroma Cacao could directly translate to Cacao - “food of the gods”. Cocoa, which is the main ingredient of chocolate, was from the beginning considered a luxury product. Today it is seen as more of an everyday feature, but the picture of it being a treat giving pleasure has not disappeared. In 1901, the chocolate company Cloetta decided to build their new factory outside of Linköping in between the two watercourses Göta Kanal and Motala Ström. The natural river Motala Ström provided electricity, while the man made Göta Kanal functioned for carrying goods. While the factory expanded over the years, the small community later to be known as Ljungsbro started to grow. Cloetta had a big responsibility in the development of Ljungsbro and the chocolate company even employed an architect who designed buildings in the society under Cloetta’s management. The architecture reflects a great belief in the future, with hope for the factory and the community to grow bigger. Cloetta is known for famous chocolate products such as Kexchoklad and Plopp and is recognized as one of the oldest chocolate producers in the Nordic context. Today the factory hosts a small outlet shop in the basement which is the only public area of the factory. With the nearby location to the tourist destination Göta kanal together with the richness of the company history, there is potential of making an addition to the society’s tourist attractions. This thesis therefore aims to create a proposal for a new visitor center for the speculative client Cloetta in Ljungsbro. A chocolate visitor center puts a need for a proposal being designed with playfulness and curiosity. Through analysing built and theoretical references, the thesis aims to investigate how to use sequences as a method of composing movement and spatial experiences. The thesis also treats experimenting with different architectural tools for achieving a dramaturgy in the created spaces.