Danish architectural studio Cobe and Swedish multidisciplinary studio Yellon have won a competition to design “Stadsljus”, a new residential tower rising 110 meters (361 feet) above sea level, to be built on the site of Stockholm’s former historic gasworks. A project for OBOS, one of Scandinavia’s largest housing developers, and the City of Stockholm, Stadsljus — meaning "City Light" — is set to redefine Stockholm’s mainly low-rise city fabric. The tower’s circular shape is inspired by and pays homage to the historic gasworks’ gasometers (gasholders).
Stadsljus will be located at Norra Djurgårdsstaden — Stockholm Royal Seaport — a brownfield site close to the city center that is being transformed into a sustainable urban district. One of Europe's largest urban development areas, it will eventually house 12,000 new homes and 35,000 workplaces, as well as schools and parks. The industrial area is very much characterized by more than a century of gas production (which ceased in 2011) and features several distinctive cylindrical gasholders with significant architectural and cultural value. These include two brick gasometers (gasometers 1 and 2) designed by Swedish architect Gustaf Ferdinand Boberg, the first of which went went into operation in 1893. While some structures have been preserved and adapted for reuse, the site’s gasometer 4 was demolished — it will be replaced by the new 36,000-square-meter (387,501-square-feet) Stadsljus tower, with the same height as the former gasometer.
Gasometers 1 and 2 built in 1893 and 1899
Gasometer 4 (left) built in 1932
Cobe and Yellon have designed a tower whose circular structure will be part of a cohesive family of circular buildings in the grounds of the former gasworks. Stadsljus is made up of three “bundled cylinders” and is described by the two studios as the “next generation gasometer within a volume ideally suited for housing.”
The tower is designed with a distinct form, its base, main body, and top inspired by the surrounding gasometers: The open brick base reflects the brick facades of Boberg’s historic gasholders 1 and 2 with their characteristic vertical brick piers. The body of the tower’s modular, three-dimensional metal facade is an interpretation of “the rational and repetitive steel skeleton of gasholder 3,” say Cobe and Yellon.
Gasometer 3 built in 1912
The top of Stadsljus, the tower’s crown, is designed as “a tribute to the top of the Boberg gasholders with a faceted and pitched roof and a pronounced overhang,” say the studios. The top conceals solar cells and varied technical devices. The building’s construction will utilize a modular, prefabricated facade assembly system: a "modular skeleton” comprising closed wall panels, windows, doors, and balconies. For Cobe and Yellon, this system will facilitate “various configurations [that] strike the right balance between variety and rationality, while ensuring optimal indoor climate in each apartment.” The tower will be clad in low-maintenance, weatherproof materials, including aluminum, corten steel, and tombac (a brass alloy with high copper content).
The residential tower will include approximately 300 apartments of various sizes, ranging from 30 – 130 square meters (323 – 1,399 square feet). Twenty percent of these apartments will be offered on the basis of a co-ownership model. The tower’s clustered cylindrical design and angled surfaces ensure optimal conditions for natural light within each apartment and many apartments will feature a balcony/terrace. Public facilities on the ground floor will include a preschool and restaurant.
The construction of Stadsljus is expected to start in 2026 with completion due in 2029.
