Functional and generous promenade quay in the city’s most prestigious setting

On Blasieholmen in central Stockholm, Strömkajen is situated in front of landmark buildings such as the Grand Hôtel, with the Royal Palace on the opposite side of the strait. The area is one of Stockholm’s most significant cultural-historical environments. Strömkajen is an important hub for the archipelago and for tourists, while substantial flows of hotel guests and visitors to the museums on Skeppsholmen move along the quay. In close collaboration with Grontmij landscape architects, Marge, on behalf of Stockholm Ports, developed the urban regeneration project Strömkajen.

The landscape architects’ commission included the renovation and modernisation of the quay’s timber foundation and technical infrastructure, which had deteriorated as a result of age and post-glacial land uplift. The new extended quay also accommodates marina functions such as waste vacuum systems, utilities and cisterns housed in service corridors. A narrower roadway in combination with a wider quay, provides a functional and fully accessible environment to manage pedestrian flows and queue formations.

Marge worked with the site as a whole and its social dimensions and new terminal buildings (see project description Strömkajen). Central to the process was an understanding of the site’s inherent qualities and the significant volume of people moving through it. The quay is characterised by large, generous and cohesive stone surfaces in varying formats and finishes, adapted to function and movement. Freestanding building volumes with a shared architectural language unify the site. Their placement and design strengthen movement corridors, sunny spots and views, while creating defined places within an environment that previously primarily served passers-by and boat passengers. Sightlines towards the Saltsjön are preserved, and in front of the Nationalmuseum the stair motif continues down to the water in a series of terraces. One of the new terminal buildings incorporates a terraced seating area facing the strait. The buildings are conceived as small-scale, furniture-like volumes without a perceived front or back, reinforcing—together with a coherent signage system—a dynamic and legible urban space attractive to both ferry passengers and flâneurs.