Metropol — Mads Hvidkær Christoffersen

Metropol - Bringing Sexy Back! ︎︎︎

Project from 2023. Umeå, Sweden.

Metropol investigates the romantic stories stored within the walls of central Umeå – its old venues and cafés located at block Höder. The contemporary iterations derive from historical perspectives with the essence of tension as a central aspect. What was once a block filled with life and anticipation is now a parking lot, and this proposal attempts to bring back the tension that once characterised Umeå.

Metropol visualisation

Metropol Plan drawings at 1:100

Stories from Metropol

Stories from Metropol and K4 as told by Elenor and Maud and the Facebook Group “Umeå Old photographs” filled with experienced (now retired) dancers.

Shadow theatre as an architectural device
with Emilia Hörnfeldt and Siri Wikar

To provoke mystique, we built a shadow theatre to provoke encounters on the street or ‘inside’ the new Metropol. The structure mimics the architectural vernacular of old “outdoor dance floors” situated in the outskirts of Umeå and the curtain pattern provokes a homely environment, as if you are peaking into someone elses’ living room.

Detail model of dansbana element as glazed element

From the dinner workshop “And it was warm for several reasons”

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