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It's not just about sound but also how we perceive the room visually. With textiles, you can create calmness without losing energy.
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- Object:
- Länsförsäkringar Västernorrland
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- Location:
- Sundsvall, Sweden
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- Design:
- Archus Architecture
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- Photo:
- Johan Eldrot
An office that captures the spirit of the place
When Länsförsäkringar Västernorrland moved into Åhléns' former premises in the heart of Sundsvall, interior architect Nadia Smedeland and the team at Archus faced a challenge: creating a work environment that functions in a building designed for something entirely different than offices, while also making people long to go to work.
It became a project where the identity of the place, daylight, and the role of textiles were woven together into a whole. Transforming a department store into offices is no straightforward task. The premises were wide and lacked the typical structure that offices require. At the same time, the client wanted to create a place where community, creativity, and well-being were at the forefront after the pandemic's remote work years. Nadia describes the work as a balancing act between function, feeling, and culture.
The room as a meeting place
A central idea was to create variation. Different types of meeting places, different levels of openness. From large shared spaces to small rooms within rooms. Here, Svensson's textiles play a key role. Hanging fabrics are used to divide larger landscapes into smaller units, create rhythm and visual boundaries without enclosing. The combination of the three textiles Mint, Airy, and Grain made it possible to work with different degrees of transparency and structure. In more open areas, the sheer qualities are used to carry light through the room, while denser weaves mark more secluded zones.
A place to long for
After the pandemic, the role of the office changed. Nadia describes it as a shift from demand to attraction: people should want to come to the office because the environment offers something that they don't get at home.
– You can't force anyone back. But you can create a place that feels welcoming, where you feel good and want to be, she says.
This idea permeates everything from the social spaces to the placement of the coffee stations. Small movement patterns have been designed to encourage meetings, unexpected conversations, and a natural rhythm in everyday life.
The light, the material and well-being
In the middle of the premises, there is an area without windows, where a meeting hub gathers both employees and visitors. Here, textiles are not used to block out the light but to reflect and carry it further.
– Textile has a fantastic ability to capture light, both daylight and artificial. It gives the rooms radiance and life, says Nadia.
The result is an office that feels both locally grounded and timeless. A place where the pulse of the city meets the calm of the forest, the movement of the sea, and the stability of the mountain.
