Pionen – White mountain / Albert France-Lanord Architects

Pionen – White mountain / Albert France-Lanord Architects - Image 2 of 21Pionen – White mountain / Albert France-Lanord Architects - Image 3 of 21Pionen – White mountain / Albert France-Lanord Architects - ChairPionen – White mountain / Albert France-Lanord Architects - LightingPionen – White mountain / Albert France-Lanord Architects - More Images+ 16

Text description provided by the architects. The project takes place in a former 1200 square meter anti-atomic shelter. An amazing location 30 meters down under the granite rocks of the Vita Berg Park in Stockholm. The client is an internet provider and the rock shelter hosts server halls and offices. The starting point of the project was to consider the rock as a living organism. The humans try to acclimate themselves to this foreign world and bring the ‘best' elements from earth: light, plants, water and technology. We created strong contrasts between rooms where the rock dominates and where the human being is a stranger against rooms where the human being took over totally.

Pionen – White mountain / Albert France-Lanord Architects - Image 10 of 21
© Åke E:son Lindman

The choice of lightning has been very challenging. We tried to bring as much variation as possible. Otherwise it is very easy to loose the feeling of time in an enclosed space.

Pionen – White mountain / Albert France-Lanord Architects - Image 2 of 21
© Åke E:son Lindman

Our references come straight from science fiction films, mostly ‘Silent Running' and a bunch of Bond films with Ken Adams set design.

One can describe the process in five different phases:

-planning

-destruction of the former office and blowing up the rock to create extra space.

-reinforce the cave. concrete work.

Pionen – White mountain / Albert France-Lanord Architects - Image 15 of 21
© Åke E:son Lindman

-technical installations. electrical.

-glass and steel work. paint and furnishing.

Pionen – White mountain / Albert France-Lanord Architects - Image 13 of 21
© Åke E:son Lindman

The client had a strong vision from the first brief and the result is only possible because of their persistence, the absence of compromise and great communication/ understanding between all parts under the process.

It has been very exciting to work with a space which at first didn't offer one square angle: the rock. The main room is not a traditional space limited by surfaces but defined by the emptiness inside a mass.

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Project location

Address:Stockholm, Sweden

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Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
About this office
Cite: "Pionen – White mountain / Albert France-Lanord Architects" 24 Nov 2008. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/9257/pionen-%25e2%2580%2593-white-mountain-albert-france-lanord-architects> ISSN 0719-8884

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