Stockholm Water Fire Light

Stockholm is boring and needs new concepts to be improved. Lets enter Stockholm in the finest way possible, from the sea. Along the banks lives the fortunate ones. Their happiness manifest itself not only by grand houses but above all in various small architectural elements for pleasure and fun, at the shore line you find piers, small bath houses, ladders and saunas. Up on the lawn you find tennis courts, outdoor swimming pools, hot tubs, football goals, trampolines, hammocks, swings, outdoor grills and barbecue areas. Small architectural elements for a comfortable and fun life. Now and then we pass an area of apartment buildings, they contain none of these elements despite there lakeside location, not even a pathway or a barbecue area can be glimpsed. We continue towards the center of Stockholm. The houses are grander, more marble, more commitment but the division remains, in the public domain there are no physical traces of elements of joy.
A quick comparison points out a clear trend. The private outdoor spaces has changed dramatically the last decades due to that advanced technology has made elements of pleasure affordable and a private economy that spends more and more money on elements of fun. The public space however remains dull boring and inhospitable. The aim of this proposal is to provide the same architectural elements for those unfortunate ones who don't have land and cant afford these privileges. This proposals is for all people included in the larger family of Stockholm. We also got our own private shorelines and some really magnificent lawns and verandas that has room enough for some grand elements of fun.


The strategy is to start with the easiest and most proven architectural elements that bestowed people with warmth and happiness from the Stone Age to the Roman empire to present days. The public bath, fire and Sports. It is obvious when looking at the shoreline of Stockholm that when Swedes are managing there own economy Stone Age pleasures such as mentioned is their first pick. The Strategy is to start small and make the public spaces that already exist available for all people . Step two is to provide more glamorous smaller architectural elements. The ambition with this project is that the next time when Stockholm decides to build a new public building such as a bathhouse, a new mall or a new sports arena this investment will be measured against thousand of smaller versions,  such as a thousand small cold baths, a thousand small heat sources and a thousand little places where one can practice sports. The project are located in the inner city, not because the need is more urgent there then in the suburbs, because it's in the inner city all subway lines meet, it's in the inner city we need our own Copacabana where people from all over of Stockholm should be able to go to socialize and have fun without having to spend money. It is in the inner city we need to have less segregation. Thats why we need projects in the inner city whose programming has been tested and proven to have been popular ever since the Stone Age and are not limited to a specific time of the day or that cost money to enjoy. If a family in Bromma can afford these types of pleasures so can the city of Stockholm. With our combined resources and grand common spaces we can accomplish bigger, more and grander elements of Stone Age tested elements of fun.

Fire 

Our public buildings produce a surplus of warm air that should be shared with the freezing population of Stockholm, These places should be clearly marked so people can find them.

New fire places should be installed at unused corners and mini public places around town. So that people have warm spontaneous meeting places, these places would also be good places for unfortunate homeless people who cant afford to by a coffee to get warm.

Our grand public buildings should provide grander fire places like these ones at the royal castle. Nicodemus Tessin made a water fall here for the public to enjoy.  He would probably approve to offer some public fire as well.

Grand places call for grand elements of fire. Strömparterren is the obvius place for a public bonfire where people from all over town can warm them self.

Light

Most part of our public space is owned by cars, even if they are not in motion and even at times when they are not allowed to be there. Instead of using parking guard companies we should let people practice sports there. No car wants to stand in the middle of a ball game.

Lamp posts are boring lets equip them  with basketball hoops

Small alterations to our street lights can provide lines and restrictions for different types of sport activities on parking free days.

Grand plains call for grand elements of sports, Gärdet has the space and the perfect lamp post Kaknästornet to project a perfect circle of 500 meters in diameter to host grand sporting events.

Water

A city with so much shoreline should have ladders down to the water at least every two hundreds meters. To not be able to swim in Stockholm is one of the most frustrating things about this city.




Our fountains are free public pools that are easy to use. There is however a shortage of dressing rooms connected to them.

Stockholm's prime waterfront street Strandvägen Is occupied by old private ships, Every ship takes the amount of space that a small bathhouse or a sauna would take.
Standvägen could become a lively street again if we would replace the ships with floating public buildings where people from all over Stockholm could go for a swim.
This could be are more fancy version of Cobacbana.


Grand museums often have grand animals in there entrance, A blue whale extending the National Museum down to the waterfront would really be the grand entrance plaza the museum never got. The whale will blow water on the people bathing from it, a really nice building for the kids.