Practice Profile on 'White'

'White' is a multidisciplinary Design practise from Sweden. They are totally committed to design that changes and benefits the world in which we live.

http://en.white.se/start

Søbadet Diving Platform -
A diving platform by designed by Fredrik Pettersson - an associate 'White' architect. This design is 100 metres offshore and is elevated 1m above sea level. It is an isolated space that 'rises' out of the sea and offers platforms for diving, areas for bathing, a structure for viewing from, walking on, wind shelter and changing rooms (under the larger part of the structure).



An amazing space.

'White' are a very focused company aiming to achieve the best possible solutions for the present and the future environment. They have developed through working with many teams a strong design approach aimed toward the requirements of our planet and its people.

"Our work is driven by a conviction that the built environment has a direct impact on and importance for the way we live our lives. By focusing on the social dimension of our work, we can contribute to developing architecture, planning and design that are based on visions and values."

Their focus on the Landscape is ever increasing through their projects as they are becoming more and more involved in creating environments and spaces which are directly influenced by their natural surroundings.

Vänern Visitor's Centre in Sweden-
A competition entry by White for a Visitor's Centre at Vänern in Sweden showed a design incorporated into the edge of a pine forest; in a way so it does not obstruct the nature their."

A jury involved with the design and its location quoted their entry to be a “playful, intriguing, poetic way of meeting the program’s operational demands. The concept is strong and attractive and the building opens up for new and different ways of building and conceiving exhibitions.”

The circles that form the facade, terraces and roof are all dimensioned to enable the pine trees to continue growing, without any disturbance on their size and form. This union between the building and the natural has enabled the project to keep the beautiful framed views and the unique light you get at the edge of the forest.




Sondra Lanken Tunnels, Stockholm-
In 1993 White proposed a design for the underground roads that run through Sondra Lanken in Stockholm, in an effort to make them more attractve and 'bearable' as places to be sitting in traffic. In 2004 their proposal became a reality and has since won the "Swedish Road Administration’s Beautiful Roads prize".The proposal has focused on using light along with art and common sense to create 'attractive environments' that have been created with care. To produce this project; White pushed themselves to understand the effect 'Light' has on our perspective and our mental orientation. Using colours and varied strength's of light for specific areas to give the driver's a more balanced and clear sense of place in the tunnels.


This project became unique very quickly as this was the first time a tunnel project had been aimed at aesthetics rather than practicality. To begin research the team travelled to a large number of road tunnels across Europe, it was found to be a very depressing experience with each one being worse than the one before. They found the tunnels to be dark, poorly lit, inhospitable and deficient from a traffic perspective.
White realised that to achieve such a project they had to completely break away from conventional tunnel design and to "basically do the complete opposite".

I have found this project very exciting to learn about, it is not anything normal but in every way achievable. The resulting tunnels being seen as beautiful spaces and a "pleasure to drive through". This project show's White's tremendous ability for being able to 'play' with a project without worrying about the setbacks. Through this talent within their team they achieve beautiful outcomes.