THE GARDEN OF ENCOUNTERS
Master's thesis / Intergenerational Community Garden
Master's thesis / Intergenerational Community Garden
Typology_ Greenhouse / community center
Location_ Stockholm, Sweden (Kvarteret Formannen 16)
Size_ 522,5 sqm
Year_ 2025
Team_ Astrid Hård af Segerstad
This thesis imagines a new type of typology in the city, one that is seeded and cultivated by and for the elderly and the young. A meeting space that fosters intergenerational connections and collaboration while reducing loneliness and promoting stimulating environments for social development. By transforming an unused parking lot in central Stockholm into a shared space that is part garden, part kitchen, part playground, this project imagines the space as a place to grow, harvest, cook, eat, rest, play and explore among people of different ages and diverse vegetation. The garden also acts as an extended hub for local institutions, such as nearby preschools and elderly homes, strengthening relationships between the garden and the local community.
This project investigates how the garden can serve as a neutral and inclusive space for interaction and how these encounters are manifested in the design. By creating an enclosed, semi-public space that blends private and communal elements, the garden also invites city inhabitants to interact with nature and each other. The design draws inspiration from characteristics of various types of gardens, carefully incorporating selected materials, plants and trees that are suited to their environmental needs and highlights different spatial experiences.
By proposing a new typology for public spaces, this thesis aims to identify and suggest design principles and strategies by using the act of gardening as a tool. Since this work explores different approaches, it can also be further developed and tested in different locations within the city, at various scales. This thesis presents one possible approach to interpreting and addressing this significant issue of caring for both the elderly and young in our cities.
