Project Description:

Eklunden is a small residential development in Nyfors, Tyresö, comprising 16 semi-detached homes carefully placed within an existing oak landscape beside Tyresö-Flaten. The project is shaped around the site’s natural and cultural landscape, where open oak groves, meadows, and ravines form the shared structure for living.

Landscape and architecture are developed as a single system. Small shared nature courtyards organise everyday life while allowing large parts of the existing landscape to remain continuous and intact. Paths, entrances, stormwater systems, and gathering spaces are integrated into the terrain rather than imposed onto it, preserving the site’s natural character and topography.

The courtyards function as shared social spaces for play, movement, and daily life. Nature play is integrated through simple wooden elements, while the surrounding oak hills, meadows, and ravines become part of the experience of living close to nature. Buildings and outdoor spaces are oriented toward the water and surrounding greenery, with trails and timber walkways providing access to the waterfront without hardening the landscape.

A new pedestrian connection links Nyforsvägen to the waterfront parkland, strengthening public access through the site while maintaining a clear balance between shared and private spaces. Parking is concentrated at the site entrances to minimise land impact and allow the courtyards between homes to remain car-free and landscape-focused.

The proposal combines low-impact development with long-term landscape stewardship. Durable natural materials such as gravel, timber, bark mulch, and stone dust are used throughout the project for their robustness, low maintenance, and ability to age naturally with the site.

Stormwater is managed as part of the landscape through permeable surfaces, sedum roofs, rain gardens, and shallow planted swales that infiltrate and slow water naturally. During heavy rainfall, excess water follows the site’s existing topography toward the ravine and lake without extensive technical infrastructure.

The project also strengthens the ecological continuity of the existing oak landscape by preserving mature trees, maintaining open meadow conditions, and supporting future oak regeneration through long-term management. Nature courtyards are enriched with flowering plants, fruit trees, habitat roofs, bird boxes, and insect hotels that support pollinators, birds, and biodiversity as part of everyday life.

Through these nature-based solutions, Eklunden creates a landscape that manages water, supports biodiversity, and provides shared recreational environments within a cohesive and carefully integrated residential setting.