Arena Magasin X, Coworking in Magasin X - Sweden's largest all-wood office building.
Like being surrounded by the forest, with the branches of the trees filtering the sunlight and an open space, a glade, to meet. This is how it feels to be in Arena Magasin X in Uppsala, Vasakronan's coworking space where Kanozi Arkitekter is responsible for the concept, layout and interior design.
Vasakronan's Magasin X is Sweden's largest office building with a frame made entirely of wood, designed by White and awarded the Uppsala Architecture Prize 2022. Kanozi Arkitekter is responsible for the concept, layout and interior design of Vasakronan's Arena for coworking, which covers about 2,800 sqm where about 500 sqm is Vasakronan's regional office. Arena Magasin X has room for 200 members who can take advantage of a flexible workplace with access to meeting rooms, generous lounge areas and fantastic environments to work and meet in. In addition, there is also a restaurant with a wide range of services to meet visitors' wishes and needs during the day.
The reception is the visitor's first encounter with the Arena. The environment here is inspired by the traditions of the old Magasin and the adjacent older buildings of wood and brick. The reception desk is built of recycled facade brick, which ties in with Uppsala's long tradition of brickworks. From the start of the project to the final result, simplicity has been a consistent, conceptual keyword. A simplicity taken from the building's sustainable basic idea, specifically the wooden frame. The structure is allowed to speak for itself, and what it conveys. The furnishings are there to clarify and reinforce. Simple site-built pine furniture blends in as part of the house. Window sills and tables, integrated sofa booths and benches between wooden columns complement the structure and contribute to function and comfort for the visitor.
Recycling and upcycling have been obvious strategies for Kanozi's interior designers in their work on Arena Magasin X. Almost all of the furniture is reused, sometimes with new upholstery or a new table top for a base and an extended lifespan. The textile carpets are made from waste materials from Ogeborg's production, a way of utilizing and giving new life to materials that would otherwise be discarded.
The feeling, the tactile, is taken from the tranquility of the forest glade with light filtering through a specially designed grid ceiling, textile carpets on the floor and wall like moss on hard surfaces. Sound and scent enhance the experience and give the visitor a warm welcome. Music inspired by the sounds of nature in the speakers and a scent of pine enhance the feeling and experience at Arena Magasin X, a climate-smart coworking and office space where human needs and well-being are in focus.
Client: Vasakronan
Location: Uppsala
Year: 2022
Interiors, layout and concept Kanozi Arkitekter
Building Architect: White Arkitekter
Photo: Åke E:son Lindman
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