Badhusbryggan in Sigtuna reconnects the town with its waterfront heritage.
On the site of Sigtuna’s former cold bathhouse, a new public meeting place has emerged along the southern edge of Lake Mälaren. The project restores the site’s historic role as a gathering point, weaving together cultural memory, landscape and contemporary civic life.

Open to water and seasons

For years, the area was an underused asphalt surface. It has now been transformed into a welcoming plaza and a new landmark along the shoreline, a place for everyday pauses and seasonal rituals alike. Visitors can sit and look out across the expansive water, meet friends, practise outdoor yoga in summer or lace up skates and step onto the ice in winter.

The design builds on a citizen dialogue led by Sigtuna Municipality, in which residents called for more welcoming spaces by the water shaped by greenery and natural materials. Sun-facing sofas frame the horizon and sunset, while varied seating supports different ways of gathering. Two timber decks extend towards the lake: a linear deck with integrated benches and café tables, and a larger, open platform that brings visitors closer to the water. The layout is deliberately inclusive, accommodating different ages, needs and rhythms of use.

Designed with respect for place

Located within Sigtuna’s culturally sensitive waterfront, the project responds to the municipality’s Conservation and Renewal Plan. Existing granite blocks from the former shoreline protection have been reused to form robust stone walls that frame a square gravel surface. At its center stands a large tree, introducing spatial definition and seasonal change while providing shade and microclimatic cooling.

Nature-based solutions underpin the design. Stormwater is managed locally through structural soil systems that both filter runoff and support the long-term health of the tree. A restrained palette of Swedish granite and pine anchors the project in its historical context. The reuse of natural stone has reduced embodied carbon and project costs, reinforcing a resource-conscious and locally rooted approach.

Light and atmosphere

Lighting supports a calm atmosphere after dark. The outermost part of the pier is intentionally left unlit, allowing visitors to experience the night sky. Integrated lighting within custom-designed café tables casts a warm, low glow along the deck and is switched off late at night, when activity subsides. The White-designed lighting table “Ljusnan” has since been adopted as a standard product by Nola.

Today, Badhusbryggan is a year-round meeting place that brings residents and visitors closer to Lake Mälaren, strengthening both the identity of the waterfront promenade and the civic life of Sigtuna.

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Landscape architecture (your office name): White Arkitekter

Team: Cecilia Jarlöv, Erik Miron, Martin Eriksson, Sofia Waernulf, Clara Fraenkel

Client: Sigtuna municipality

Architecture office involved (if any): Light design: White Arkitekter

Photo credits: Jann Lipka

Other credits: Structural engineering: ELU AB

59.615087, 17.722924