New design for future substations in Stockholm

Electricity supply plays a crucial role in the future of Stockholm and Sweden, where industries, transport and growing cities are being electrified to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Sweden is facing a major need to expand and modernise the infrastructure that delivers the electricity. But as the grid expands and takes up more space, it needs to be integrated into the urban landscape in a more thoughtful way.

Design, adaptation to the character of the site and aesthetics were therefore key requirements in the competition for new substations, also known as transformer stations, organised by Ellevio in collaboration with the City of Stockholm and with support from Architects Sweden. The competition response had to show how the substations would function at four selected locations in Stockholm. The proposal also had to be able to be mass-produced and adapted for integration with other infrastructure. Gottlieb Paludan Architects' winning proposal is designed with a modular approach and appears as a discreet technical building whose flexibility and soft form language can be used in many different configurations and naturally integrate into different urban contexts.

In the proposal, the jury sees a design that unambiguously communicates a technical building and is linked to a clear design language for this type of function in Stockholm. The building is elegant with a rounded expression that is perceived as urban and can fit well into the many different environments where the new substations will be located - from the jury's report. The competition started with eight participants in August 2022. Four proposals moved on to the next stage and developed their proposals following the jury's feedback.