The golden pentagon in Angered: a direct result of the collaboration between the Young Urban Developers and Wingårdhs

Twenty windows stand guard over the transit station, looking out in five directions like the eyes of watchful cats. A secure building with no back side alertly watching over the place. This golden building with its five corners is Angered’s new travel center—a direct result of the collaboration between the Young Urban Developers and Wingårdh Architects.

“The dialogue we had with the youths in Angered turned out to be absolutely pivotal for the building’s design,” says Ingrid Alerås, an architect at Wingårdhs. “They had very strong desires and a clear vision of what they wanted for this place. Their field studies and ideas led eventually to the building’s pentagonal form, which started out very differently. They also gave us some new aspects to take into consideration in our work, like the importance of creating a secure environment.”

Young Urban Developers (UngaStadsutvecklare) is a cooperative project between youths in the neighborhood and the district council in Angered. The group works with urban development issues and strives to influence the development of the area in dialogue with residents.

“The chance to work so directly with the people who really know the place and what it needs has been extremely educational and has resulted in a building with identity,” says Alerås. “I think the building contributes something new, and with its golden facades it becomes like a little jewel crowning the traffic hub,” she says.

Iman Hussein of the Young Urban Developers says, “I’m happy with how we were able to influence the building’s form, and that they listened to our ideas. Our keywords were security, edgeless, and minimal, and I think the final result follows the vision quite closely. The building feels completely unique and extremely well adapted to the needs of Angered Center,” says Hussein.

The transparency of the entrance level allows for views around the corners, and the building is characterized by an exposed wooden structure of glulam beams and an interior lined with pine ribs. On the exterior, the facade is characterized by a pattern of rhomboidal brass panels that softly reflect the sunlight and breathe new life into the traffic hub.

Angered Center is one of the largest public transit hubs in the city of Gothenburg, with about 35,000 passengers passing through it every day.

The building doesn’t just watch over the travelers passing through, it also provides carefully crafted space for bus drivers on their breaks. Driving a bus is an entry-level job for many people and an important point of entry into society. The staff areas in Angered include space for studies, prayers, and rest.

Wingårdhs’s design team was made up of Gert Wingårdh, Jonas Edblad, and Ingrid Alerås.

Here’s what the jury had to say when assessing the winning project:

”Angered Transit Center is an individualistic, reassuring hub that shimmers beautifully in an urban landscape typical of the 1970s building boom and its sprawling traffic network.”

When administrative architect Ingrid Alerås at Wingårdhs Architects gave her thank you speech at the 2020 Architectural Gala, she emphasized the excellent collaboration she had enjoyed with the many committed individuals from the immediate surroundings. As we applaud her excellent work and that of her team, we would also like to include artist Caroline Bäckman’s contribution to the beauty of the building, as well as Tommy Larsson and all of our terrazzo layers who installed the smart terrazzo floor in the center, where there is also a truly admirable terrazzo reception desk. Congratulations to Ingrid and Caroline, the Transport Administration and all the residents of Angered!

Practical terrazzo in a floating structure

The terrazzo floor was selected for several reasons – it’s durable, easily maintained and easily cleaned. It has no particular direction, which is a clear advantage in a building with five corners. In principle, there are infinite possibilities when it comes to colour and design, and its also possible to add other materials, as was the case here. The structure in Angered is also based on a so-called floating floor where the concrete layer and terrazzo rest on a sliding layer, which makes the floor flexible and less sensitive to movement and temperature differences. Terrazzo was also used for the reception desk, whose colours harmonize with the walkways, which also have routed, tactile grooves.