Ground-breaking Residential Project in Swedish City of Malmoe - Chooses Puustelli Miinus as Supplier of Kitchen Fittings

Architectural firm Hauschild + Siegel has chosen Puustelli Miinus as their sole supplier of kitchen fittings for 55 rental apartments and 31 hotel rooms currently under construction in the southern Swedish city of Malmoe (Malmö).

The apartment/hotel building will be the first in the city of Malmoe to be built without any space for car parking, and the first in Sweden to be produced with Miinus kitchen fittings.

The residential project is the first of its kind in Malmoe to be built according to the so-called “parking norm 0” with no parking spaces made available for cars, except for disabled parking. Instead of parking lots, the apartments will have plenty of parking space for bicycles.

“Malmoe is the Amsterdam of Sweden in terms of cycling. Because of the high cost of land, it is smarter to build residential buildings rather than parking spaces,” said Cord Siegel, responsible architect and constructor at Hauschild + Siegel.

Throughout the project, named Klippern 4, there has been a strong focus on minimising the environmental impact of the apartments and residents. According to estimates by the architectural firm, the carbon footprint of the people living in the apartments will be one third of the average in Sweden, down from 4.75 to 1.75 metric tons per person per year.

One of the reasons for these low numbers is a more environmentally friendly kitchen interior. The apartment building will be the first in Sweden equipped with Puustelli Miinus kitchens.

“We are very happy that our first project in Sweden is Klippern 4,” said Mika Ojanne, CEO of Puustelli Sweden, “since it is a project that is as forward-thinking as Puustelli Miinus itself. The Miinus kitchen interior concept is perfect for many building projects in Sweden today, as it contributes to the fulfilment of the higher environmental demands put on constructors by the authorities.”

For the architects, both the environmental aspect and the design affected the decision to use the Miinus interior for the rental apartments and the hotel rooms.

“It is an exciting combination of massive wood and modern lightweight materials, such as plastics,” said Cord Siegel. “Besides that, all other kitchens that we considered looked the same. Puustelli Miinus has a different design, and we felt that was an important criteria.”

In total, there will be 55 rental apartments with similar, but not identical, kitchens. There will also be 31 “bicycle hotel rooms” that companies can rent as an alternative to a hotel when they have visitors from abroad. A bicycle is included in the rental of each room.

Hauschild + Siegel is not only the architectural firm behind the project, but also the constructor and the owner of the finished apartment building responsible for the future operation and maintenance of the facility.

“It is an advantage for us that they are responsible for the whole chain,” said Ojanne, “since this means that they look at each part from many different aspects. As architects, the materials and design of Puustelli Miinus may be the most important aspect, but as constructors and owners, they will also see other aspects – installation issues, safety, durability and so on.”

Since Puustelli Miinus is at the forefront of all aspects of the project, it has much to gain from a buyer with a wider perspective that will appreciate all of its strengths.

Ojanne is planning similar projects for Puustelli Miinus in the future. “This is solid evidence that Puustelli Miinus is good business for constructors,” he said, “but also confirms that Miinus’ unique combination of extraordinary environmental properties and high-profile design are sought after. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a green kitchen revolution in all of Sweden.”