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Safescape

The Scharins Site in Ursviken, Skellefteå, SE, faces challenges of housing demand, brownfield conditions, and underutilization. However, it presents an opportunity to become a new local center and recreational hub, revitalizing the connection between the Skellefte River, the town, and its surroundings. Historical traces of the industrial past will gain new meaning, transforming into all-inclusive pedestrian and cycling-oriented backbones that integrate the project priorities of safety, context, ecology, and mobility. The activated riverfront will be dedicated to public space and recreation. This densified, balanced approach plans to provide approximately 2300 residences over the next two decades, welcoming diverse species and cultures to call this place home.

The design concept stems from the trace geometry left behind on the site by the Scharins factory and rail spur. What once was used to export goods, is now proposed to be an attractor and importer of leisure, residents, visitors, and species.

Mobility

Soil Treatment

Waterfront

Green, Blue, & White Structure

Housing Typology

Program

Location: Ursviken, Skellefteå, Sweden
Program: Urban Planning and Design for the Town of Ursviken
Size: 99 acres (40 ha)
Status: Ongoing, 1st prize in Europan 17 competition, 2023
Team: Mahla Ebrahimpour, Agnieszka Lula, Jan Wańczyk, Yuan Lin, Nathaniel Carden
Collaborator:  Maya Sleiman

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