Elding Oscarson

Photo credits by Åke E:son Lindman

Elding Oscarson is the joint operation between Johan Oscarson and Jonas Elding. Jonas Elding was an associate at Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa (SANAA) in Tokyo for seven years, during which time he led the design for the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York City. Johan Oscarson was an associate at Sandellsandberg in Stockholm for seven years, and led the designs for Villa Nilsson and the interior for the OMX headquarters. The collaboration combines substantial experience from employments in Sweden and Japan, covering both local and international architecture, from large projects to small ones – museums, theaters, private houses, interiors, furniture, and product design. 

"We want to continue to challenge an eclectic array of architecture and design tasks, to see how our joint effort can contribute to new solutions, ways to live, and spaces to enjoy. We feel successful when we surprise ourselves; when our projects are highly relevant to the user, the site, or other parameters that make every project unique, real, and story-telling."

They won severeal awards: the International Architecture Award, Chicago Athenaeum, USA 2011; the Skånes Arkitekturpris, Sweden 2011; Landskrona Municipal Prize for Urban Planning, Sweden 2010; Hise Award, Innovative Excellence Private Housing, Slovenia 2010.

They use an elegant language and geometrical proportions, terseness and purity show up in their works.

Photo credits by Åke E:son Lindman

Photo credits by Åke E:son Lindman

Photo credits by Åke E:son Lindman

Townhouse in Landskrona is a bright white comtemporary home. The narrow site is sandwiched between very old neighboring buildings. Three thin slabs are projected into the open volume, softly dividing its functions. The continuous interior space is opening up to the street, to an intimate garden, and to the sky.

The lot has been empty since mid 1900’s. Immediately adjacent buildings are low, but the street is lined with buildings of various height, size, facade material, age and approach. After careful study of the site dimensions through physical models, they reached the conclusion that the site was so small that a rectilinear approach would enrich the street.

Photo credits by Åke E:son Lindman

Photo credits by Åke E:son Lindman

The continuous interior space is opening up to the street, to the middle of the block, and to the sky above. This openness to all directions generates a building volume that is both monolithic and transparent. All facades are treated equally, exposing the interior and offering views through the building with similar apertures whether on the front, back or sides.

Photo credits by Åke E:son Lindman

Energy consumption 57% lower than the regulation was reached through the use of an air-source heat pump and a ventilation system with heat recovery, wall construction of LECA sandwich blocks with integrated EPS insulation, and a sedum roof delaying temperature fluctuations between day and night. The wall construction is fully breathable, needing no vapor barrier, and exclusively composed of materials that cannot mold.

Photo credits by Åke E:son Lindman

Photo credits by Åke E:son Lindman

Photo credits by Åke E:son Lindman

Oktavilla: this design bureau for magazines and web is housed in an old textile manufacturing hall in the very center of Stockholm. They loved the naked, lofty and bright spaces, but needed to alter it drastically to make it operable for their business. Dividing the space with a wall gives a very bright and large meeting room, as well as a clean rectangular room for the rest of the program. This large space is softly divided with a box containing service functions and a kitchen. By compressing the contents of the box and positioning it very carefully, the program effortlessly falls into place without breaking the impression of a single large room.

Photo credits by Åke E:son Lindman

Besides having a literal relevance to the client’s business, the wall made of stacked bundles of magazines is not only a natural conversation piece in its mere irrationality, but also works as an acoustical absorbent. The lighting solution and interior project, which to a large extent uses their own furniture designs mixed with vintage pieces and staples already in the client’s possession, aim at highlighting the nakedness of the space. Largely, the raw, untreated space was kept untouched after demolition. By adding only two clearly defined architectural elements, the client’s wish list could be met while keeping the beauty of an industrial atmosphere.