The Sweet Spot

Map showing a route in Sweden from Göteborg to Stockholm, passing through Nyköping, Linköping, Skavsta Airport, with a dotted line marking the travel path.
A detailed illustration of an urban development with trees, buildings, green spaces, and futuristic transportation such as flying drones and boats. The area includes areas marked for future development, a natural lake, and various sustainable infrast
Aerial map showing Skavsta Airport, East Link Train Station, and Skavsta Park outlined in yellow, with the larger area outlined in red.
A vibrant outdoor community space depicted from a cyclist's perspective, featuring a multi-level park with trees, a lake, and numerous pathways. Various labeled areas include a cinema, food market, workshops, eatery, hotel, community orchard, small a
A conceptual map of a park with pathways leading towards different natural features: Skavsta Square, historic remains and natural assets, green buffer and water reserves, and a scenic natural path. The map includes a central heart symbol and directio
A detailed site plan map showing various clusters labeled as Innovation Hub, Materials Cluster, Food Cluster, Energy Cluster, and Information Cluster, with a park and a central square, along with a train station and surrounding infrastructure.
A city map showing main vehicular routes in black, shared space in gray, cyclist routes in pink, and pedestrian routes in blue dashed lines. The map includes roundabouts and a variety of streets within a neighborhood.
A site map diagram labeled 'PHASED' showing planned development stages. The diagram includes areas marked for infrastructure, creating a center, building along the boulevard, expanding in the site, and expanding out of the site, with different shadin
A map of a residential area showing building heights, with streets, roundabouts, and wireless signal icons indicating connectivity points, as well as a strategic plan title at the top.
A detailed map of a planned community showing roads, buildings, parks, water features, bus and train stations, and labels for areas like the park, the square, and the boulevard.
A vibrant urban park scene with people walking and biking, surrounded by modern buildings with glass facades, pink blossoming trees, and greenery. There are signs for a fitness gym, workshops, and innovation hubs, with drones flying overhead and a sm
Diagram of a pink frosted donut with sprinkles, illustrating the social foundation and ecological ceiling. The donut's inner ring is labeled 'Social Foundation' with an arrow pointing inward and 'Shortfall' indicating the need to fill social needs. T
A site plan layout of a community development project with designated areas for a timber manufacturing facility, a recycle center, a design innovation center, water reservoir, buffers, connectors, industrial areas, and surrounding roads with trees an
A detailed map of a food cluster with areas designated for food market, small animal farm, culinary school, microbrewery, eco-camp, sustainable food production, vertical hydroponic farming, R&D, biotechnology, food waste, and composting facilities, s
Site plan of a sustainable development project called Energy Cluster, including key areas such as rooftop sports mini-courts, offices and R&D, communal rooftops, temporary housing, energy production, hotel and wellness center, floating bridges, walka
A diagram of an innovative urban development with energy cluster on the left and innovation hub on the right, featuring elements like trees, pedestrian paths, terraces, parking, and sustainable building features.
Map of a city showing annual sun hours with buildings and roads, color-coded from blue to yellow indicating sun hours, legend on the right with values from 0 to 4048.
A circular map showing wind speeds across an area with different speeds color-coded from blue to red. The map includes various building outlines and street layouts. A legend on the right indicates wind speed levels corresponding to cultural symbols,

A Business Park in Skavsta, Nyköping, Sweden

The Sweet Spot is MAZi Architects’ proposal for the Europan17 competition, awarded a Special Mention. Developed for Skavsta, near Nyköping, the project rethinks the conventional business park as a long-term, cooperative, and regenerative urban system, responding to environmental urgency, changing work patterns, and the needs of a small but strategically positioned municipality.

The Sweet Spot proposes a framework masterplan and design guidelines rather than a fixed blueprint. The strategy prioritises thoughtful density, adaptability over time, and a clear spatial structure that allows development to evolve incrementally.

At the core of the proposal is a cooperative business model, positioning governance as a spatial tool. Businesses retain ownership while sharing access to amenities, services, and decision-making. This model supports equity, resilience, and long-term commitment, reframing the business park as a collective civic asset rather than a speculative enclave.

Following the award, MAZi Architects were invited by the Municipality of Nyköping to participate in workshops with the Planning Department. These discussions focused on translating the project’s principles into future strategies, highlighting Europan’s role as a laboratory for innovation and a bridge between visionary proposals and real municipal practice. The Sweet Spot exemplifies MAZi Architects’ commitment to ethical urban frameworks, collaborative planning, and scalable strategies that empower small local authorities through European knowledge exchange.

  • Masterplan Strategies

    Working Together - Owning the Future
    A cooperative structure underpins the park’s development and management, encouraging shared responsibility, participation, and long-term stewardship.

    The Power of Provenance
    Energy, food, material production, and water management are embedded on site. Distinct clusters form interconnected business ecosystems, promoting local innovation, circular flows, and reduced environmental impact.

    Sharing Values – Being Responsible
    The proposal aligns with circular economy principles and the Doughnut model, supporting businesses with strong social and environmental credentials while helping the municipality meet climate and social targets.

    Creating a Welcoming Ecosystem
    A balance of hard and soft infrastructure — buildings, landscape, mobility, digital platforms, and shared services — supports healthy employment densities and collaboration.

    Design & Environmental Strategies

    The spatial structure is organised around a central landscape system, connecting green areas and prioritising pedestrian movement and proximity (“Närhet”). Density increases strategically to buffer noise and infrastructure, while edges soften into the surrounding landscape.

    Environmental strategies are informed by climatic analysis, integrating rainwater management, biodiversity enhancement, renewable energy, and adaptive building forms. Social sustainability is embedded through inclusive public space, accessible mobility, and shared amenities that encourage everyday interaction.

“Today we have economies that need to grow, whether or not they make us thrive. What we need are economies that make us thrive, whether or not they grow.”
— Kate Raworth, Doughnut Economics, 2017

Europan17, Special Mention 2024

Awards

Business Park, Masterplanning

Typology

2023

Year

Skavsta, Nyköping, Sweden

Location

MAZi Architects, Afentoulidou Galini, Athan Vagias

Team

Client

Municipality of Nyköping, ExploreSkavsta

  • Galini Afentoulidou (GR), Architect
    Athan Vagias (GR), Architect
    Maritina Markopoulou (UK), Sustainability Consultant
    Tyler Thurston (UK), Illustrator
    Ramin Antoniadis (GR), Illustrator

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