In the exhibition Farming Architects at Stockholm Furniture Fair this week, Swedish firm Jordens Arkitekter offers an immersive look into the future of construction, where sustainable architecture integrates with ecology and agriculture.
— Visitors will engage with innovative architectural concepts on-site, fostering a dynamic space for hands-on learning, interaction and collaboration, Johnny Andersson, architect and founder of Jordens Arkitekter, shares. Instead of showcasing finished works, we’re focusing on the creative process by showing sketches, models and sources of inspiration. It’s about revealing the layers and thought processes that shape architectural innovation, not just the end result.
What makes it so unique?
— The team present at the 300-square-metre pavilion is a diverse group comprising architects, landscape architects, ecologists, biologists, interior designers and structural engineers. The exhibition’s interactive environment invites visitors to participate and contribute, making their input a part of the collective creative process. Farming Architects also features a material library of sustainable building materials from 30 top suppliers in the field. Offering a glimpse into the future of sustainable architecture, it is designed as a place for exploration and learning, bridging current building practices with emerging sustainable solutions. Additionally, the exhibition highlights the expertise of Ekologigruppen, a consultancy firm known for its sustainable approach to ecology, urban planning, and landscape architecture.
What do you want to highlight from it?
— ’Co-sufficiency’, says Andersson.
— The exhibition showcases five forward-facing projects of varying scales, including an expansive property development of 400-500 units which reimagines rural living beyond the conventional garden city model. Showcased are also learnings from Osprey Farm Studio, a sustainable farm just west of Stockholm, created by me and my wife Ina M Andersson. It operates as a testbed for innovative ideas and covers ten hectares with key biotopes: water, grassland, forest, and the farming area. At Jordens Arkitekter, we also present a novel concept for senior living in rural areas, where residents engage directly with farming communities. Highlighting urban agriculture is the Rosendals Trädgård project, a garden at the very heart of Stockholm. The smallest yet significant inclusion is Jordens Hus, a series of timber houses fully designed and built by the firm itself, exemplifying their comprehensive role in the architectural process.
”Clinging to ideas and knowledge in isolation has become outdated”
According to Andersson, what he describes as ’new thoughts’ ought to be shared.
— In an age marked by uncertainties and crises, he says, clinging to ideas and knowledge in isolation has become outdated. We love Enzo Mari as a concept to bring awareness of the process of ’making’ and design, to instruct and build practical and useful furniture pieces through very simple techniques; hoping that the benefits drawn from this process of making would be more valuable than the object being made. Mari wanted people to consider the more basic aspects of the objects we surround ourselves with and what it is that makes a piece of furniture, beautiful, comfortable, and functional.