Located in the large Midsommarkransen urban district of Stockholm, Flora is a newly developed, wood-clad residential building designed by Belatchew Architects. Apart from its unique, wood-paneled facade, the apartment complex also features a ground floor café and a basement garage. But the highlight of this property is the flourishing green roof that welcomes pollinators and harvests solar energy.
Recently completed in 2020, the structure highlights natural materials like wood and stone with a contemporary design unlike its neighboring buildings. While the introduction of wood cladding as a building element is new to the district, it complements the area rather than sticking out. Although the wood boards are unpainted, their natural textures and patterns are brought out by varnish, giving the facade a customized look. Almost like a new landmark, Flora helps to define the intersection of Bäckvägen street, where it sits.
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There are French balcony doors included in every apartment, and these doors are complemented with cast iron balcony railings that provide an attractive contrast to the varnished wood. The timber theme continues into the building lobby and even onto the larger balconies featured in courtyard-facing apartments. The apartments located on the top floors boast even bigger terraces that extend across the full length of the building.
The classic-yet-modern apartment interior includes dark granite tiles in the combination bathroom and laundry room. Interiors are also characterized by their tall ceilings and many windows to help ensure substantial amounts of natural light and a bright, airy feel.
Its wooden exterior isn’t the only feature that sets Flora apart from the rest of the neighborhood; it also has an expansive living roof covered in plants and vegetation chosen specifically to provide habitats for butterflies and other insects. Besides adding a valuable ecological contribution to the area itself, the roof is also fitted with solar panels to contribute to reducing the building’s own carbon footprint.
Photography by Michael Perlmutter via Belatchew Arkitekter
