Hammarkullen
Reimagining Underused Basement Spaces in Housing Environments
Master's Thesis
Chalmers University of Technology - 2025
Focus
Social sustainability • Spatial Reuse • Community interaction
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Location: Hammarkullen, Gothenburg, Sweden
This thesis investigates how underused basement spaces within residential housing environments can be reimagined as active community spaces. Through research conducted in Hammarkullen, the project explores how overlooked spatial resources within existing housing structures could support social interaction and shared activities. During the investigation, hydroponic cultivation emerged as one potential program capable of activating these spaces while encouraging community engagement and learning.
CONTEXT
Beneath the housing blocks, extensive basement structures remain largely unused, revealing a hidden spatial resource within the residential environment
Beneath the housing blocks, extensive basement structures remain largely unused, revealing a hidden spatial resource within the residential environment
Beneath the housing blocks, extensive basement structures remain largely unused, revealing a hidden spatial resource within the residential environment
Beneath the housing blocks, extensive basement structures remain largely unused, revealing a hidden spatial resource within the residential environment
SPATIAL ANALSIS
A series of spatial mappings was developed to understand movement patterns, program distribution, and the spatial relationship between ground-level activity and the extensive basement structure beneath the housing blocks.
PROGRAM EXPLORATION
Multiple potential uses for the basement were explored before selecting the final program. By comparing environmental impact, community engagement, economic feasibility, and scalability, hydroponic cultivation emerged as a promising activity capable of activating underutilized basement space while contributing to broader sustainability and community goals.
Program Evaluation Matrix
Different potential basement programs were evaluated across environmental impact, community engagement, economic viability, scalability, and existing availability in Hammarkullen. The comparison highlighted hydroponic cultivation as a program capable of generating both environmental and social value while introducing a new function not currently present in the neighborhood.
Hydroponic System Ecosystem
The diagram illustrates the broader system required to support a basement hydroponic initiative, including operational roles, production flows, potential users, supply chains, and institutional partners. This framework situates the spatial proposal within a wider environmental, social, and economic network.
DESIGN STRATEGY
Multiple potential uses for the basement were explored before selecting the final program. By comparing environmental impact, community engagement, economic feasibility, and scalability, hydroponic cultivation emerged as a promising activity capable of activating underutilized basement space while contributing to broader sustainability and community goals.
DESIGN PROPOSAL
The proposal transforms the underused basement into a productive and community-oriented environment through spatial reorganization, integrated growing systems, and clearly structured circulation. The design combines hydroponic production, support spaces, and shared community functions to create an active interior landscape beneath the housing blocks.
Speculative Spatial Plan
The speculative plan organizes the basement into a series of interconnected zones for hydroponic cultivation, processing, storage, and community use. Productive spaces are positioned according to spatial capacity, environmental requirements, and operational needs, while support functions such as loading, cleaning, and plant handling are integrated into the overall system.
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Circulation Strategy
The circulation plan distinguishes between visitor movement, community access, staff operations, and service entry. Public routes are organized to support learning and participation, while operational paths remain efficient and separated where required. This structure allows the basement to function as both a productive farming environment and an accessible community space.
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SPATIAL NARRATIVE
The design is conceived as a phased transformation of the basement, evolving from an underutilized space into a productive and community-oriented environment.
Through a modular approach, the intervention unfolds gradually, allowing different programs to emerge over time based on need, participation, and growth.
REFLECTION
This project explores how underused spaces within existing housing environments can be reinterpreted through time, use, and interaction.
Rather than defining a fixed outcome, it investigates how spatial value can emerge gradually, shaped by participation, adaptability, and evolving needs.
The basement is understood not as a leftover space, but as a latent layer of the built environment with the potential to support new forms of collective use.
PROJECT WALKTHROUGH
A short video walkthrough illustrating the spatial experience, phasing strategy, and overall system of the proposal.
For a more detailed exploration of the research and design development, the complete thesis can be accessed below.
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Full Thesis