Stockholm Royal Seaport

Sustainability Report

Vibrant city

In Stockholm Royal Seaport, previously closed industrial areas are being transformed into an open and attractive part of Stockholm. Development is based on creating space for daily life, such as parks and squares and public and private services.

2021 Highlight:

Award-winning utilisation

Gasverket building 8, the former gas purification building, now rented by Berghs School of Communication, won the 2021 Stockholm Master Builder’s redevelopment prize. The following citation accompanied the award:

“The project clearly demonstrates how preserving existing values can result in qualitative, long-term, and sustainable solutions. The building has been entirely reused, few materials have been removed, and few new materials have been added.”

Key figures

3,160 dwellings, of which 52% are rental apartments, 8% of which are student housing. 60 developers have been allocated land for a total of 5,650 dwellings.

2 squares, 4 parks, 4 playgrounds, 1 play park and 1 outdoor gym. 1 elementary school, 10 pre-schools, 1 sports hall and 1 library.

7 buildings in the old Gasverket area have been granted a new lease of life.

16% of public open space has social values equivalent to 26m2 per dwelling.

Gasverket: a meeting place for knowledge and culture

Gasverket provided energy for Stockholmers for more than a hundred years. In 2011, the site was closed down, and remediation work started. The urban development around Gasverket gives the former industrial area a new lease of life, and the buildings of cultural and historical interest complement the contemporary buildings, such as Boberg School. The opening of the school in 2019 marked the beginning of a new era. Since then, more businesses have moved in, including Berghs School of Communication and Klätterverket (Rock-climbing facility) with a restaurant in the old gas metering building. Spårvägsmuseet (The tramway museum) is to open on Bobergstorget in the spring of 2022.

Renovation work is underway in one of the old brick gasholders designed by Ferdinand Boberg, which in a few years will be a new cultural centre in Stockholm. To preserve the volume and space of this historically important facility and protect the old brick walls, the centre’s stage is planned to be a free-standing structure inside the old one.

Aerial view of the brick gasholder during summer with greenery in the background.
The brick gasholder in Hjorthagen is being rebuilt into a cultural scene
Aerial view of two brick gasholders in Gasverket.
The roof is in poor condition and needs to be replacedEric Cung Dinh
View of the wooden and steel roof from inside.
The roof has a great cultural-historical value. The renovation is done carefully.Eric Cung Dinh
View of the steel beams of the gasholder roof from inside.
The new roof will be as similar as possible to the originalEric Cung Dinh
Aerial view of the gasholders roof with steel beams.
But also be able to carry 20 tons of stage equipmentEric Cung Dinh
Aerial view of the roof of Gasklocka 2
Eric Cung Dinh
Renovation work on the brick gasholders roof.
The cultural scene is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.Eric Cung Dinh
In addition to building new, we will also recover and reuse several old buildings and give them a new lease of life. Transforming existing buildings with new functions is one of the most sustainable things we can do.

Gasverket continues to be developed as a local centre and destination for all Stockholmers. The painstaking work of redeveloping these buildings and returning them to use has attracted widespread interest and seen the project win awards and nominations.

Children playing in a parkour course
Parkour course in Bobergs school
People crossing a street with a bus stop in the background
Well-functioning daily life with proximity to societal amenities and public transport. Eric Cung Dinh
Brick gasholder with a clear blue sky
Gasholder will be transformed into a new cultural scene
Visualization of the interior of gasholder with a crowd of people
Visualization of interior of gasholder 2Tengbom
Historic image of Gasverket from 1933
Gasverket 1933Stockholms stadsarkiv
Aerial view of the development area
2009Lennart Johansson
Aerial view of the development area
2020Lennart Johansson
Aerial view of Gasverket
Gasverket
Aerial view of Gasverket and the development area
2021 aerial view of GasverketLennart Johansson

What’s it like living in Stockholm Royal Seaport?

Space is created for all in Stockholm Royal Seaport with varied buildings and content that makes the area populated and safe around the clock, all year round. All phases of the project contain various housing types and sizes of apartments to make it possible to live in the area in different phases of life. More than half of the dwellings built to date are rental apartments, and 8 per cent of these are student housing.

Diagram 1.1 Division of apartment sizes of what has been completed in Stockholm Royal Seaport.

The majority of construction work to date has been residential buildings. However, ground floor premises along the main roads provide space for everyday services such as grocery stores and other services. Schools and pre-schools are also within walking distance. There are several new meeting places in the immediate area for children and young people such as a library, sports hall, activity area with parkour, playgrounds and play parks. Commercial areas currently amount to approximately 20 per cent of completed premises.

Interactive map - Schools ›

Regular residents’ surveys provide residents with opportunities to comment on their neighbourhoods. One of the most recurring issues is safety. The proportion of residents who feel safe in the area is 80 per cent, which compares with an average of 70 per cent for the rest of Stockholm (2019). Residents’ surveys show that women and men feel equally safe. Residents believe that the area is good for young adults, the middle-aged and older; four out of five think that the area is good for children to grow up in. To further increase safety, regular safety walks are conducted to identify opportunities for improvement. In recent years, around ten safety walks have been carried out to identify and address issues.

Two people training in the outdoor gym in phase Brofästet.
Outdoor gym in phase BrofästetEric Cung Dinh
Adults and children playing on a ballcourt
BallcourtJansin & Hammarling
A street showing a pedestrians and cyclkists with green space
Green spaces along Jaktgatan.
Pedestrians walking along the water line in Husarviken and two children relaxing on a sunbathing bench.
There are both intense, densely populated areas and quiet, tranquil environments
Pedestrians and cyclist on a lane with greenery on each side
Pedestrian and bicycle lanes below the parkJansin & Hammarling
People sitting outside of a café in the summer
Active ground floors
Illustration showing different target points of the development area.
Target points and mixed functions
Several people in the snow with sledges.
Sledding in the Royal City National Park

Publicly accessible open spaces with social values – known as sociotopes – such as parks, squares, quays, beaches and nature areas are also being planned in the area. To date, 16 per cent of the total area is sociotope, which corresponds to 26m² per dwelling. Green oases amount to 11m² per dwelling. According to the residents’ survey, the vast majority of residents are very or fairly satisfied to live in the area, with the most appreciated aspect being the access to parks and nature areas, and the quality of the outdoor environment. The majority who move to the area do so because they need a larger home.

National interests present challenges

To date, more than 3,000 dwellings have been built in Stockholm Royal Seaport, and almost as many are land-allocated. Several land allocations have been delayed due to changed circumstances. Stockholm Royal Seaport needs to consider complex issues of national importance – known as riksintressen (national interests) – related to its location. Examples are the port, Östlig förbindelse (Eastern Link motorway) and Värtabanan (a train service). National interests are a tool that the Swedish government uses to monitor interests of special national importance in community planning. Urban development in the southern areas of Värtahamnen is dependent on a section of the Värtabanan railway yard being moved and whether and where the Eastern Link will be built. The question of how noise from ships in the port can be addressed affects where and how much housing can be built.

This urban development project prepares for these considerations as far as possible. Extensive ground work is underway in current development plans. At Loudden, remediation work on the oil storage tanks has largely been completed and design work is in progress.

Aerial view of Värtahamnen. In the foreground a cruise line by the harbour and the city of Stockholm in the background.
VärtahamnenLennart Johansson
Aerial view of Värtahamnen
Overview of VärtahamnenLennart Johansson
Aerial view of Stockholm Royal Seaport
Overview of Stockholm Royal Seaport – from Loudden to HjorthagenLennart Johansson
Vision aerial view of Värtahamnen
Vision of VärtahamnenAaro Designsystem

Interaction between city and port

An important balance exists between having an active port adjacent to housing as a key aspect of a mixed urban environment. Both piers in Stockholm Royal Seaport are important passenger ports for Baltic Sea traffic. The development of Stockholm Royal Seaport will strengthen the port with a new and clear entrance to Stockholm. At the same time, the city moves closer to the water, opening up the area and giving it a new lease of life. The waterfront location provides excellent opportunities for quays and public places where varied content and careful design create a vibrant and attractive part of Stockholm.

Historically, the waterfront has mainly been used for transport and activities connected to the port. The work of concentrating the port’s operations has been going on for many years. Two milestones were the expansion of Värtapiren with the new terminal and when container handling moved from Frihamnen to the newly built port in Nynäshamn.

The Valparaiso phase of the project is centrally located by the port, Värtabanan and Norra länken (the Northern Link) – an area that requires new thinking to create an attractive urban environment, integrated with infrastructure and where even covered areas have vibrant content. For many years, the area was intended to be for retail. However, over time, needs have changed. Now, a mixed urban area with offices, retail, hotels, culture and housing is planned. In 2021, the City of Stockholm launched a land allocation competition to find an anchor developer for the development.

Aerial view of the phase Valparaiso. A cruise liner by the harbour.
Phase ValparaisoLennart Johansson

Connections, entrances and meeting places in the Royal National City Park

The proximity to the Royal National City Park is a great asset for Stockholm Royal Seaport. Therefore, it is important to create connections and entrances to the park and carefully manage the interaction between the park and new buildings.. Buildings next to Husarviken are slightly lower and with colour schemes that align with colours found in the park.

The development of Stockholm Royal Seaport will likely lead to more visitors to the park with increased wear and tear as a result. Directing visitors in a structured way to the park’s various destination points and recreational trails can contribute to the area being preserved over time, in terms of plant and animal life. Even within the planning areas, there are opportunities to create good connections to the Royal National City Park and make it easier for people to move from nature into the urban environment. Clearly marked entrances to the park help control flows of people in and out of the park and ensure that visits are enjoyable. A review of these issues in Loudden started in 2021 in collaboration with the various City of Stockholm administrations and is due to be finalised before the summer of 2022.

Pedestrian walking on a bridge over water to the Royal National City Park.
Pedestrian and bicycle bridge to the Royal National City Park
Cyclist on a bridge with the Royal National City Park in the background
One of the entrances to the National City Park
Aerial view of the green rooftops of Stockholm Royal Seaport, Royal National City Park and Husarviken.
Aerial view of the green rooftops of Stockholm Royal Seaport, the Royal National City Park and GasverketJansin & Hammarling
Aerial view from Gasverket towards the Royal National City Park
View from Gasverket towards the Royal National City Park
The illustration shows a pink curvy line that stands for the building outline along the Royal National City Park as well as green arrows that represent green areas that visualize by connecting green areas to the Royal National City Park, the park experience increases.
Connecting green spaces to the Royal National City Park will enhance the park experience
Aerial view of part of the Royal National City Park and Stockholm.
Aerial view of part of the Royal National City Park and Stockholm
Lush oak tree from a ground perspective.
The Royal National City Park has the largest oak trees in northern Europe

Key events 2021:

  • Four architectural offices competed to design the “Stadsljus” housing project in which 320 homes will be built on the site where Gasklocka 4 previously stood. Obos and the City of Stockholm will announce which architectural firm they will move forward with during 2022.
  • A new playground has been completed on the hill nearby where Gasklocka 4 once stood. The playground has an ant theme with a climbing frame in the form of an anthill and ant-shaped rocking animals and sculptures.
  • The pre-school Anna at Gasverket came second in the Stockholm Building of the Year competition. The building Bergsvåg with apartments and a pre-school in the Jackproppen neighbourhood was also nominated.
  • Planning for housing, services and offices for the Hjorthagskransen phase began. The new buildings will help to connect the older and newer parts of the building area.
  • The City of Stockholm started looking for a developer for the Valparaiso phase.
  • Development work on a new structure for the Kolkajen phase continues.
  • Places that are waiting for the next step in development were brought to life with a series of temporary activities. During the year, a temporary paddle facility was opened and next to the Kolkajen phase, work was started on a temporary park. In addition to plantings, the park will contain gravel surfaces and a ball games area and there will be the opportunity to grow plants in planting boxes. The ball games area can also be converted into a skating rink in winter. A container wall dampens noise created by work being conducted in Kolkajen.
Playground with a big toy ant in the foreground and gasholders in the background.
Playground with an ant theme
A playground with big toy ants in the foreground and gasholders in the background.
The playground was completed 2021
People playing on a paddle course with buildings in the background.
Paddle course on temporary grounds
Croquet set on a lawn with buildings in teh background
Croquet set
Evening view of a playhouse and a gasholder and buildings in the background.
Playhouse along the new path from Gasverket to Abessinien
A playground in a courtyard surrounded by 50 homes.
Preschool in the phase Jackproppen with 50 homes which opened in 2021
A close-up of hands holding a 120 year old window iron frames.
Careful renovation of 120 year old window iron frames
Cranes working on the roof of a gasholder .
Gasholder 2 is transforming into a culture scene
A street view in Gasverket with gasholder in the background.
Completion of public open space in Gasverket
View of a brick building in Gasverket.
Gasverket
Pre-school Anna in Gasverket with a playground in the foreground.
Pre-school Anna in Gasverket
Close-up of the pre-school Anna.
Newly built extension of the pre-school Anna

Måluppfyllnad för 1. Vibrant city

1.1 An equal city

52% of the apartments in Stockholm Royal Seaport are rental apartments and 48% are tenant-owned apartments. 8% of the rental apartments are student accommo­dation.

Apartment sizes vary as follows: 10% (one-room apartments), 33% (two-room), 29% (three-room), 23% (four-room), and 4% (five-rooms or more)

To date commercial space accounts for about 20%.

The land allocation competition in Kolkajen was about developing concepts for designing housing for a greater diversity of people and increasing the employment of people outside the labor market.

1.2 Active daily life

To date, we have built 1 elementary school, 10 pre-school, and 1 sports hall. According to the 2019 residents survey, residents are extremely or fairly satisfied with access to:

  • pre-schools and schools 26%.
  • culture activities 12%.
  • supermarkets 64%.
  • restaurants, cafés etc. 47%
  • squares and meeting places 72%.
  • sports and leisure activities 42%.

1.3 Create spaces that are attractive and safe all day, all year

The residents survey from 2019, showed that the proportion who feel safe in the area has decreased from 91% in 2016 to 79% in 2019, men and women's responses do not differ.

To date, 10 safety walks have been completed, none were completed in 2021.

16% of , which corresponds to 26m2 per dwelling. It is 11m2 green oases per resident.

The plot ratio for Stockholm Royal Seaport is 2,3 which is higher than the rest of Stockholm. Hammarby Sjöstad has a plot ratio of 1,7 while Hagastaden has a 7,2 if compared to other inner city projects.

Updated: 12/12/2022

Målområdet Vibrant city och Agenda 2030

Målområdet Vibrant city bidrar till att uppfylla FN:s globala mål för hållbar utveckling:

The vision: A Vibrant City has varied content with functions and activities that ensure that it is populated, safe, and interesting at all times of the day and night and throughout the year. It also contributes to good business opportunities. It is an equal urban area that everyone can use on their own terms and where women and men are included in the design of the city. A dense, green, and connected city that facilitates walking and cycling and contributes to reduced climate impact and improved wellbeing.