Building on Rotorfabriken - embroidering on the already built - a circular housing proposal

Abstract: Nacka, east of Stockholm, is a quickly growing municipality. With the goal of adding 20 000 new housing units and 15 000 workplaces as the subway is being extended, central parts are being reorganized. The densification will potentially lead to the demolition of nearly a hounded buildings of varied sizes. Sweden’s extraction rates (per capita) are the fourth largest in the world. More than 96% of Sweden’s resources are extracted from virgin sources. As the climate crisis is pressing, we need to start rethinking what opportunities our current building stock pose. Instead of going to landfill the already built can be seen as valuable material banks, as well as valuable as they are. Rotorfabriken is an industrial building, built over time from 1946-1983, in central Nacka that is up for demolition. Its to give way for three blocks of ‘urban like’ housing. The building holds a lot of potential, it is a part of Nacka’s industrial heritage with large characteristic spaces. It now houses an organization that engages the community and small businesses of varied functions.  Does the need for more housing have to be in opposition to the development of Rotorfabriken?  How can Nacka reach its goal of becoming a more vibrant and denser municipality without exploiting our ecosystems?