urbanNext interviews Urban Nouveau on Lidingö Bridge Village project and their proposal to repair Stockholm’s landmark.
The Gamla Lidingöbron apartments. 50 apartments fit inside the structure of the bridge.
What made you want to support the repair of the bridge even though the local council didn’t want to invest in it? How will you convince them?
We have a magnetic connection with Gamla Lidingöbron. The bridge is an important landmark for Stockholm: it is unique and has a high cultural historical value. Unfortunately, the local council has ignored these facts and is using mainly two arguments in their decision to demolish this icon: a) that it is cheaper to build a new bridge and demolish the old bridge than to refurbish the old bridge; b) that the structure of the old bridge is in bad shape and therefore needs to be demolished. Both of these arguments are not necessarily correct.
Urban Nouveau’s proposal features 50 apartments inside the structure of the old bridge. This strategy generates a minimum of SEK 850 million, SEK 450 million of which are channeled into the total refurbishment and strengthening of the old bridge, leaving plenty of capital for building the apartments. Our proposal has been fully costed out by one of Sweden’s greatest contractors; it is also cheaper and environmentally safer than demolishing and rebuilding.
We understand that changing a political decision is difficult, and we trust that the municipality will come on board with a better alternative very soon.
