Client projects: Musikhögskolan – The Look of Sound

by:

Kinnarps Sverige

18/12/2018

CASE FACTS

Location:
Stockholm

Architect:
Sweco

Salesperson at Kinnarps:
Johanna Österbladh

Completed:
Spring 2016

Welcome to the Royal College of Music, Stockholm

WORKING IN HARMONY

Stockholm’s Royal College of Music needed a new home – a building that would inspire and a functional workspace to teach and perform music. Sweco Architects were commissioned to design this new home for Sweden’s foremost college of music, and they turned to Kinnarps to assist them with the interior design of this unique space. We focused on delivering ergonomic solutions that simplified collaboration, creating a sense of ease and harmony throughout the building.

ELEGANT AND EASY TO MOVE

Plockepinn is a modern wooden stool. It’s easy to move around and wooden stools are quieter than metal or plastic. The orange colour resonates with the brickwork facade.

SHAPES THAT CREATE CURIOSITY

Monolite is a modular sofa that creates inspirational shapes. With its modular form and durable fabric weave it’s ideal for large, busy spaces. The back and sit section of the sofa are separate so that dirt naturally falls down to the floor.

INNOVATIVE FUNCTIONAL DESIGN

Rialto is a smart modern stool. Because it’s made from wood it’s quiet and easy to move around and the extended back peg acts as a hook for students to hand their bag or jacket.

“The design brief was simple: music should be able to be played anywhere.”

Berit Petterson, Interior Designer

FUNCTIONAL DESIGN

The moment you step inside the Royal College of Music, you feel like you’re in a space that has been carefully designed to achieve a purpose. Modern, airy and beautiful, it’s a building that interacts with its inhabitants. With a unique cultural history stretching back to 1771, design elements in the new building needed reflect a rich cultural heritage and college’s future as a modern space for learning.

As the building is a workspace for teachers and students, furniture needed to be functional, easy to move around and inspiring to look at. Rehearsals and spontaneous recitals happen regularly throughout the building, so we identified good ergonomics and quality design as essential requirements for collaboration, learning and mobility.

Good from every angle

Monolite sofa placed in the entrance as a meeting spot and a captivating form to look at from the ground floor and the walkways above.

SOLUTIONS FOR WELLBEING

Our passion for ergonomics stems from our knowledge of people and productivity. The Royal College of Music is a vibrant, dynamic workspace, where students and teachers mingle, discuss, work and collaborate. In collaboration with Sweco Architects, we focused on holistic solutions that considered physical, cognitive, social, organizational and environmental factors before identifying solutions that promote wellbeing.

Learning environments benefit enormously from good ergonomics because the way we sit or stand at work influences our wellbeing and productivity. We created the best circumstances for learning by designing quiet, flexible workspaces that encourage conversation and collaboration.

Active tables (90cm high) are perfect for quick stand or sit meetings and short collaboration events.

WE CAN GUIDE YOU

The Royal College of Music benefitted from Kinnarps extensive product range, which on this project included designs from some of our six specialist partner brands. Furnishings subtly coalesce with the existing architecture to create a feeling of harmony. Collaboration flows smoothly throughout the building and noise from workstations is minimal. Our knowledge, experience and product range allowed us to guide the Royal College of Music towards their own unique solutions for prosperity and wellbeing.