Tango Bo01 Exhibition Housing, MKB Fastighets AB

The Tango Housing project is unprecedented in its successful synthesis of density and sustainability. Created as a part of the 2001 Bo-01 European Housing Exhibition, it includes 27 rental units, each with its own unique floor plan that allows a view of the central landscaped garden through generously glazed towers. The exterior perimeter of the structure relates to the surrounding urban fabric with its simple yet sophisticated elevations. On the interior, the playful and vibrantly colored individual building masses turn slightly as they step around the courtyard in a dance-like movement that inspired the project’s name.

The living room of each unit occupies part of a tower, “borrowing” space from the garden while making the units feel more spacious. To the same effect, entire walls of glass open onto the garden, allowing the units to literally flow into the landscape. Bridges link the residential cores to the outdoor courtyard, passing above an expanse of marshy land that reflects the flora of the nearby sound.

The building offers an array of state-of-the-art sustainability and information technology features. Each unit is fitted with a specially designed “intelligent wall”: a dividing wood panel that houses several functional attributes in a modular design that allows for various plan layouts. The wall is also connected to Tango’s custom technology network, which monitors the details of power and energy use throughout the day. The roof surfaces are covered with grass and photovoltaic panels that provide passive heating and cooling for the building and produce more than 100% of the building’s energy needs.

Associate Architect: SWECO
Photography: Werner Huthmacher