Johan Paju, founder and Partner
Landscape Architect, LAR/MSA

+46 705 377 177
johan@paju.se

Maria Gudmundsson Paju, Partner
Architect, SAR/MSA

+46 703 59 1774
maria@paju.se

Strategy for how to activate the Swedish national parks. Our proposal was about focusing on the landscape through the impact of architecture. How to use the architecture as a lens by which you can see and understand the surroundings.

Participation in a garden show located in an old English landscape park outside of Stockholm. Our concept was to create a landscape garden working with the site that we were given, exploring the full potential of the site. We weaved between the tree trunks and created a canopy, forming an intense space underneath.

A multi-use cultural center situated in a very expressive landscape with bare rocks and old pine trees. The building consists of three long houses, connected to create spaces within. As they are pushed down into the ground unifying with the horizon, they form a relief of the landscape.

A residential landscape on the west coast of Sweden. The site is situated in a rocky terrain by an old fishing village that is to be converted into a housing area. In this project we tried to mimic the rocks when working with the buildings so they would merge with the surrounding landscape. We created valleys and common green with local plants and resources that could adjust in this extreme climate. Adaptation of site.

A city park in a new sustainable development for app. 1000 inhabitants. We started this project by introducing the park so it could progress during the construction time merging with the new development. By connecting natural systems and preserve natural resources we conceived: water management, preservation of farmlands, wild life corridors, biological and social habitats. The park will work as an internal communication for people, animals and natural processes. Organizing the building units around it.

We were commissioned by Derome, a housing company, to create a showpiece garden for a new housing concept. The idea was to show how we could plug in natural systems and be netto producers of energy in our everyday life. Single-family houses are everywhere. How can we connect them without reducing existing qualities of the landscape? The strategy is about a long-term social as well as natural sustainability.

Photo by Åke E:son Lidman

A rooftop park in the center of Stockholm. An area of 3500 m2 will be recreated as a biological platform that can serve both social and ecological functions. In this project we worked with three layers: a base of extreme natures inspired by the dry hillside biotopes, a floating wood deck and add-ons to conceive wind shelter and habitats for insects and birds. 

A private garden located by the waterside near Gothenburg. The building is star shaped forming 5 voids on the exterior where we have created different expressive landscape gardens. These emphasize the surroundings in divergent ways: the white garden, the black garden, the rock garden and the magnolia garden…

A square in Gothenburg situated by Kvillebäcken’s new market hall. The intention with the project is to create a new urban node, a public space in front of the market hall. A place with it’s own identity. A place where different paths connect. The paving is made out of local stones in 49 different configurations.

A garden concept for a private villa in Särö on the west coast. We recreated and highlighted the landscape that is present on the site with only beach biotopes. The graphics of the design gives an optical illusion, the effect that the villa seems very near the sea and vice versa. With only 20 cm of gravel and 20 cm of sand we created locations for the different beach biotopes.

A development plan in Hemavan, Lappland. How can we combine architecture and landscape instead of adding things on top? In our proposal we suggested a topology that followed the heights and created a living landform. A building and infrastructure generated from the readings and understandings of the site – following the topography.

The objective was to create a master plan for 200 summerhouses in the surroundings of the southwestern Aegean coastland in Turkey. The site is located in natural sloping grassland. The basic structures for the new development are all about working with the existing, keep natural drainage/ flow, preserve native plant and save as much as possible during construction. The units were carefully placed and followed the topography.

We are always looking for talented collaborators for internship or job. We expect you to be engaged with good skills in both visualization and communication. Please send your portfolio as a pdf to info(at)paju(.)se

Two housing units close by a nature reserve just by the national river Vindelälven in Lappland. A desolated area where you have to go straight into the wild! The objective was to create a massive wood building not connected with anything except the landscape. Oriented with sun and wind in mind merging with the surroundings into a unified entity.

In our office we don’t use things that can be broken or be worn down in the long run. We focus on the two extremes: the long lasting resource of materials and the short span of life in temporary constructions. If you think of the stone pavement of Via Apia, you still can use it! It gets even more beautiful of the wear and tear of centuries. If you grow tired of the site, just move and reuse the material. If you on the other hand use as little as possible of resources, you can work with small and quick means. Go for locally grown wood. This is our attitude!