The design for this small, but very well-thought-out car park is part of the general car park management strategy of Umeå city council, and was started in 2015.

The city of Umeå is going through a period of expansion that has also meant removing some car parks in the downtown area, making a new central garage necessary.

The building is bordered by a busy road on one side and the railway on the other, in an area that has been considered unsafe for several years. The ambitious goal of the project was to create a building that adds architectural quality to the site. The project was inspired by the desire to give an almost "sculptural" and aesthetically pleasing value to carrying out a daily task. The building is approximately 120 metres long and a lot of thought was put into managing the scale of the facade, to avoid making it too invasive compared to the urban context. The ventilated facade is composed of sheet metal blocks in four different versions, which have been installed in a completely random fashion, without any predefined pattern. There are 400 Trick devices inside these blocks, making them invisible from the outside. The lighting effect shines out through the openings to create an irregular pattern of light and shade on the facade. This emphasises the architecture and creates the perception of a non-place in the municipality of Umeå, thereby improving it.  An otherwise dark junction where four roads meet has been enriched by an illuminated sculpture that gives pleasure to motorists and pedestrians alike. The roof is equipped with a system of solar cells that provides the building with electricity, and each floor offers recharging points for electric cars.

Inside, the 17-metre width is free of supporting columns, allowing a full view of the whole environment, a view that is further increased by the choice of light colours; it all helps to create a sense of safety for those using this space.

Year: 2018

Client: INAB AB

Architectural project: TM Architects - Christoffer Andersson

Lighting project: Ramböll - Magnus Olsson & Henry Torstensson

Photographer: Åke E:son-Lindman