Timed perfectly with the release of Shutter Island [2], Kjellgren Kaminsky Architecture [3] plans to turn one of Sweden's old, ugly mental hospitals into a sustainable apartment complex. Dubbed Parkour, it offers a sense of community to residents.

The architecture firm explains:

In Sweden today, people are dying of loneliness. As traditional social ties [are] being eliminated, there is sometimes no substitute. We propose a housing with a new type of neighboring community that is based on voluntary participation and adds value.

That means reconstructing the hospital into a series of apartments for families and singles. Common areas (spa, lounge, pool, gym, theater) will run throughout the building, which will also feature solar panels, small wind turbines, a rainwater reuse system, and a rooftop garden. It sounds like a promising project, but the architecture firm has a mammoth task ahead in proving that it can turn a 10,000 square meter "old mental hospital with bad reputation and vast monotone facades" into something attractive.

[Via PSFK [4]]