IKEA at H22
The Future of the City Together with Helsingborg and IKEA
Helsingborg. A seaside town in the South of Sweden that you might not have heard of. By the end of 2022 we hope that Helsingborg will be firmly on the map.
In August of last year we began working on ‘H22’ a project with IKEA and the city municipality of Helsingborg. H22 is to be a ‘City Exhibition’ on an international scale, showcasing the best in new thinking around the future of the city.
Our work on H22 allows us to work in the multidisciplinary manner that we love, allowing us to use resources across our creative network and stray outside the narrow boundaries of what a traditional ‘creative agency’ environment might allow. This means architects, scenographers, filmmakers, podcast producers, graphic designers and even some roles that lack a conventional title. All working in concert to create a forward thinking event that will leave a lasting legacy. Both for Helsingborg itself and cities across the world.
Some of the places we visited during our research. From left to right: Tryckeriet (activity house), Domsten Camping and the city dump Verapark.
We’ve been quietly working away on H22 for a while. Our Gothenburg office in particular, Office of Possibilities, has been working really hard. Now that the project is finally revealed to the public, it is even more exciting! We know that the reveal to public is only the beginning of our journey. The lifeblood of a city is of course its people. Each city is unique and we wouldn’t have it any other way. What happens at H22 will happen in dialogue with the residents that call Helsingborg home alongside IKEA and the city municipality.
So far our H22 journey has taken us to some incredible places. Some notable areas of Helsingborg, and also some places that are a little more off the ‘beaten track’. The city dump being a great example here. We were surprised and delighted by how passionate the people at the dump were about truly circular solutions to some of the problems faced by the cities of tomorrow.
Early ideas for Oceanhamnen
Much has been written on the future of the city. It is a topic that captivates an audience easily. When you consider that 68% of the global population will call cities home by 2050 (UN), it little surprise that we are so fascinated by these nexus points of civilisation.
H22 gives us an occasion to create solutions, ones that are applicable across cities but also ones that are specific to Helsingborg. We can utilise our collective imaginations to dream up new ways of doing things.
Early imagined interior for the Garden at Drottninghög
