Outdoor classroom, café or info hub: citizens decide on the fate of Helsingborg H22 Expo pavilion

Three proposals were selected, out of many, and they conform to the principles of re-thinking, re-purposing and re-adapting

The Swedish city of Helsingborg played host to the splendid City Expo earlier this summer giving the chance to people to experience what smart and livable cities could look like in the future. And now, the authorities are giving the local residents the chance to participate in this process and keep the spirit of the Expo alive by letting them decide what should be done with the H22 Pavilion.

The structure in question served as the welcoming point and hub of the major event that took place between the end of May and the beginning of July. Before its construction, and even before approving the budget for it, the City stated a firm requirement – it must be usable (and used) after the end of the expo.

A fusion of town planning and democracy

The Pavilion features the latest ideas of Nordic design, which incorporate organic materials (wood) with an open and welcoming concept that seeks to eliminate the idea of walls and fences in order to imbue the sense that visitors are welcome. Its budget of about 1.25 million euros also accounted for the fact that it will be repurposed after the event’s conclusion. That means the costs for the eventual disassembly and removal have already been pre-covered.

Last week, the administration held a special council session with interested residents to discuss ideas on what to do with the pavilion. Previous to that, citizens had been invited to submit proposals and 50 ideas flowed in.

The proposals have been narrowed down to three that were considered to be the most interesting.

1. It could become a café or changing room in Atlantparken, a park yet to be built in Oceanhamnen;
2. A combination of information hub and outdoor classroom in the new district Östra Ramlösa and the planned Forest Garden;
3. Serving operations at Gröningen, where the Bunker Bar restaurant was previously located.

The fact that the municipality has invited the residents to vote on these three proposals is due to the fact that they have been examined and found that they are possible to implement. Of the proposals, the Bunker Bar alternative is the one that has received the most votes, approximately 60 percent of all votes, and it is also the one that can be implemented in the shortest time (horizon of 2024).

However, Magnus Prochéus (property director) and Martin Hadmyr (H22 architect) emphasize that it is still possible to come up with other proposals than the three above.