Report: Odla torg

On the island of Sollerön in Siljan, with its distinctive microclimate, local crops, and strong sense of community, a rural strategy for square-making was tested through architecture. The project Odla torg (Cultivate Squares) was carried out as part of ArkDes Open Call 2021, under the theme “Shared Spaces and Interspaces”.

The starting point was the village center, where the traditional clustered settlement has gradually dissolved, and everyday encounters now often take place in a parking lot. Through a series of tests and small-scale adjustments, the project examined what defines a square—and how it can be shaped based on the specific conditions of the site.

Residents of the island and several local actors were involved in the process. Changes such as opening a fence, relocating elements from a traditional fäbod, designing and placing furniture for cultivation and gathering, and redirecting traffic were tested with the aim of creating a shared meeting space. Through temporary architecture, a method was developed for transforming a parking lot into a vibrant village square—and, over time, a designed village center with more shared spaces and fewer in-between spaces.

The project team included the architecture firm Gaia arkitektur ↗, climate designer and landscape architect Lisa Maria Enzenhofer, and the local initiative Återbruket Klippen ↗, which sells second-hand goods to finance community projects.

The project resulted in a final report and subsequently received extended funding, which led to the development of the manual To Cultivate a Hometown Square—a collaboration between ArkDes and Region Dalarna ↗. A complementary report, To Cultivate a Square in Every Hometown, was also released.