Thanks to funding by ARQ and Stockholms Byggnadsförening, and with support from Svenskt Trä, we have once again made an update to our research project How to CLT! In a new chapter of our CLT handbook, we propose 6 principles for a closer collaboration between the consultants that we believe will foster innovation, architectural quality and efficiency when working with CLT. Furthermore, our Grasshopper definition has been updated with additional functionality and the possibility to work with more complex volumes.
All the way back in 2019 we were asked by Arvet Trä to explore how a modular CLT-system could be employed to imagine a densely built yet highly qualitative urban fabric for students in Kenya. The result was Ndarugu Student City, a scheme involving everything from the design of the individual module to the urban planning. We are now excited to announce that a prototype building made up of four of the modules has been raised on site in Kenya!
How to CLT, our research project concerning the early design of buildings constructed with Cross Laminated Timber, has caught the interest of the Swedish forest industry. In collaboration with Tomas Alsmarker (Svenskt Trä) and with the support of CLT-producers Martinsons, Setra and Södra we have now co-authored a CLT guide for the early stages, to be distributed for free by Svenskt Trä.
Are you looking for a place to work that is more than just an office hotel? Arkaden is a personal, friendly, and inspiring coworking space located at Hornsgatan 113 in Hornstull. The 110 m² newly renovated office offers a flexible workspace for creative professionals. Currently, it is home to two architectural firms and a film production company. We are looking for new colleagues to build a community of creative and friendly professionals. Curious? Feel free to stop by for a coffee or contact us for a viewing or if you have any questions!
In september 2023 the office travelled to Malmö for the launch weekend of MANI-FEST, an exhibition and publication by SPARK, where 15 young Swedish architects were invited to craft their own manifestos. The weekend featured a series of roundtable discussions, including one themed "a rejection of the present age", in which Kayrokh participated.
If you haven’t heard yet, reuse is the new use. An increasing number of architects and contractors are opting to incorporate second-hand elements over newly produced alternatives. Reclaiming building materials was the norm for centuries because of how resource efficient the practice is. Somewhere along the way, however, this stopped being standard practice in modern societies.
With the generous support of Stockholms Byggnadsförening we have now been able to continue our explorations of CLT and delve deeper in to the often harmful practices of the Swedish forest industry. The conclusion? CLT’s potential environmental benefits depend entirely on where the raw material comes from and how it was extracted.
The architectural corps has been the punching bag in the public debate about style and aesthetics. Thus far we have taken a quiet and passive stance on the issue, and have not participated to the extent we can and should. Sometimes out of strategic reasons and so as not to step on any "political toes". This Swedish language article written by Kayrokh is an attempt to nuance the polarized debate and explain to the public why they have taken the wrong people as hostages.
The interest for mass timber construction in general, and Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) in particular, has been intensified by the ever-looming threat of climate change. Urged on by a lack of standards and the slow-moving wheels of the Swedish building industry we decided to take matters into our own hands. We are proud to announce that this effort has now resulted in a first iteration of resources to be used by architects in early phases of CLT-design - a CLT handbook, a Grasshopper definition and a Revit library/template file
Shinelle, Arkemi and Loft Sweden win competition in Västervik! The team behind Trekvart aquire the land allocation agreement to develop a block of 86 rental apartments, divided on three wooden buildings with generous shared spaces.
We are proud to announce that our CEO has participated in Architects Sweden's annual industry report where he contributed with a chapter discussing integration issues and why diversity is to be pursued. The text is both personal and universal, weaving together his perspectives as a foreign-born architect as well as an employer. A very readable article for everyone, regardless of background and situation! Scroll down for the Swedish language article in its entirety.
Katarina Andersson has written a highly interesting article published in the Swedish language news magazine Syre for which she, among others, interviewed our CEO Kayrokh Moattar. The article explores the relationship between the whiteness norm of the Swedish architecural world and the often uniform and excluding nature of its output.
Arkemi has received a generous grant from Stockholm's Building Association (Stockholms Byggnadsförening) for a project which aims to simplify the early stages of designing, dimensioning and budgeting Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) buildings.
On our way back to Tehran we stayed a couple of days in the northern parts of Esfahan province. In Kashan, a city of about 400 000, we experienced some of the most exquisite examples of Persian architecture.
Next up on our journey was the capital during the Safavid rule of Iran and modern Iran's third largest city: Esfahan. As a former royal capital it exhibits an abundance of grandiose public buildings and palaces from the 16th to 18th century. The huge (way too big to grasp by a picture) Naqsh-e Jahan Square is the city's historical center of both political, religious and commercial power.
Our next stop on our epic Iran-trip was the ancient city of Yazd, a labyrinthine and mud-clad desert city, six hours by train south of Tehran. Considerably smaller than the capital (roughly half a million people) and UNESCO protected it has been able to keep its dense and homogeneous old city core.
This spring's official Arkemi study trip went to... *drum roll*... Iran. Birthplace of such important things as the solar calendar, backgammon, Persian rugs and of course: our friend and CEO Kayrokh Moattar.
Conceptual sketch for a parametric facade design based on solar heat gain.
Our main agenda in this project was a connective tissue which brings the nature to Bjärred’s new centre. This was achieved by multiple programmed wedges and through blue and green corridors which interconnect natural spots and public spaces in and around the city.
We use VR to evaluate and verify our designs, we don’t use it solely for presentation purposes. Have a nice weekend folks ?
Arkemi invests on timber architecture knowledge. Trästad 2019 finished by an inspiring keynote lecture by Andrew Waugh from Waugh Thistleton Architects. Download the free ebook at www.thinkwood.com