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Approach to building

Building Community

What we’re doing in Råängen is deceptively simple. On a twelve-hectare piece of land that is currently a series of fallow fields on the outskirts of Lund, we are commissioning artists and architects to make art, buildings and conversations for a new community.

We are taking our time, testing ideas, asking questions, liberating ourselves from the idea that in order to progress, we must provide answers to these questions. We have no masterplan but rather an approach to building. Each activity feeds into the next; questions and issues that are raised by the people we involve in the commissions, public events, and texts, become part of the brief for the next project.

We think of each strand of activity as a commission. No differentiation is made between an artwork, a public garden, and a building. Artists and architects are commissioned in very similar ways, with open briefs, and an invitation to talk, look, see and do.

It is important to us that we build a neighbourhood which is an extension of the historic town of Lund rather than a development on the periphery. In order to achieve this, we understand that there should be no whimsical rendering, no point of arrival that sets out or celebrates a finished process, but rather a slow incremental, complex pattern of growth that develops over generations and is never complete.

While there are few residents currently neighbouring the site, we recognise that this is a real place, with a history, an atmosphere, an identity that must be honoured. When you stand in the grass, looking out to an expansive horizon, there is a sense that time and space have collapsed, but Råängen is not a blank slate; this is not a tabula rasa.

Cathedral Thinking

Whilst we are eager to ask questions, we do have a clear sense of the values that we would like to embed in this new neighbourhood: respect and care for nature and productive land; a sense of ownership and pride, and an openness and hospitality for all. These values must be tested, framed and scrutinized if they are to have any real traction in the everyday reality of residents.

Nathan Coley’s provocation to the Cathedral in the form of ‘And We Are Everywhere’ has established the basis for a discussion about the Church’s presence in the new community and our commitment to building a neighbourhood for all. Brendeland & Kristoffersen’s public garden, ‘Hage’, has significantly informed the conversation about the way we think about the relationship of Råängen to Lund and the slow transition from farmland to city, and has cemented in our minds the power of creating a public space which defines the parameters for future buildings. Architects Flores & Prats are now exploring the potential for the first buildings to begin the slow process of building and supporting a new community.

The Collective Effort

Collaboration is a central part of the project. We will not be delivering everything ourselves but in partnership and dialogue with local businesses, commercial developers, housing co-operatives, cultural organisations, and individuals, as well as the local authority. We are keen to learn from other initiatives, places and practitioners. We’ll borrow ideas (architect Yona Friedman’s beautiful little cartoon sketches with accompanying text: ‘It cannot be planned; it can only happen’ is a particular favourite) and make links across continents and histories to recognise that what we are doing is not new.

The process of selling land is critical for achieving the project’s ambitions. For us, it is important that those who choose to become part of Råängen do so with a desire to contribute to the wider project. The individual building projects are central building blocks and must be carefully considered, but it is equally important to take joint responsibility for how the projects work together and what they offer as a whole.

We believe that there is much to be gained from a collaborative approach to the development of a new neighbourhood, and the Cathedral’s role as hosts will support this. Råängen will manage the process for each developer or stakeholder as well as lead in initiating a number of strategic projects which we see can add value and strengthen the community – Hage is one of these. These projects are an important part of the Cathedral’s reinvestment policy for Råängen.

During the process of developing the first phase, Råängen will facilitate open conversations where we explore what elements should be defined now and what can be left open. An iterative process can teach us what works and allow for adjustment. We will consider alternative models to meet new demographic and social needs. We will also explore spatial standards, the sharing economy, non-extractive construction, and the pressing need for affordable housing. Our aim is to create space for a broad discussion on how we should be living in the new century.