Sitting on the dock of the bay : a design proposal for the dock area at Kvarnholmen

Sammanfattning: As cities grow larger we as landscape architects need to be aware of their urban limits and potential. Stockholm is a city that is located in an archipelagic landscape, historically a city benefiting from its transportations made on water, but today a city no different from others, with the majority of its transportations made on land. Addressing the United Nations sustainability goals the thesis aims to use design as a tool to create a public space that contributes to a sustainable development in the growth of Stockholm. The design proposal values spaces in relation to sustainable means of transportation and enhances city dwellers experience of the landscape in which they live. The chosen site is located around the ferry station at Kvarnholmen in the municipality of Nacka in Stockholm. The method for the thesis is a combination of the tools used by a landscape architect, resulting in the method of design. The methods used are a literary study, a study of three reference projects in Stockholm, a summary through a board of quotes, inventory, site visits and analysis, sketching by hand and in model, playing with words as a method for exploration through improvisation, the development of design principles, description of a conceptual idea and the process of designing. The result is greatly influenced by the historical aspects within the literary study as well as by the site visits and improvisational exercises with words. The result of the thesis is presented in two parts, one masterplan for the site and one zoomed in proposal for the ferry station. The design explores the land approaching the sea and the potential public spaces it poses. It also questions the border between architecture and landscape architecture as it’s perhaps a result of occupational habits and not always a designers understanding of a space. The thesis discusses the subject of time and spending time and how we as designers might approach the terms. The proposal is limited as it does not consider financial aspects. The design does not include a consideration of the sea life and further environmental impacts.