BUTTERFLY SQUARE
08 Oct 2014
Landscaped with green roofs, Butterfly Square will incorporate a series of multi-programmed areas whilst creating a habitat for endangered butterflies.
Butterfly Square is a project in Sweden which comprises a series of spaces that evoke the open wings of a butterfly - an effect achieved through two angled, L-shaped buildings that are clad in a palette of glass and timber.
Heavily landscaped with green roofs, planting beds, and water features, Butterfly Square was designed to look like an extension of the adjacent neighbourhood park. To keep the development pedestrian-friendly and child-friendly, parking was tucked away underground to create a series of multi-programmed areas. In addition to recreational space and retail, a portion of the square sinks into an amphitheatre performance space that’s shielded from the elements by a sharply angled green roof.
A range of elements have been incorporated to promote an environmentally aware space. While Butterfly Square’s abundance of green roofs will provide habitat for insects and birds, one of the major goals will be to plant rare hårginsten flowers in a bid to attract the endangered ginst butterflies. Knowing that butterflies obtain their energy from sunlight through their wings, the project mimics this by incorporating solar panels throughout the planted roof.
Bicycle hire stations will be positioned around the square for use by locals. Further into the nature park the jetty will house information about the area, especially the nature reserve which borders the site.
Intensive planting will be used throughout the development to create natural boarders and protection zones while large skylights on the rooftops stream in natural daylight into the terraced residential units.
The project was designed by Weatherhead Architecture, with construction to begin in 2016.
