Scalloped balconies create unusually shaped openings across the facades of these two apartment blocks completed by Tham & Videga?rd Arkitekter in southern Sweden (+ slideshow).

Stockholm-based Tham & Videga?rd won a competition to design the Västra Kajen housing in the lakeside city of Jönköping, as part of a wider masterplan to create more housing on the quayside.

The two buildings are for two separate clients, so the architects designed them to be different in colour but to share a unique motif. This led to the addition of the scallop-edged balustrades, which flank balconies on all six floors.

Constructed from anodised aluminium, these screens are reminiscent of hanging fishing nets. They form a series of upside-down arches that differ in size. "We opted for a direct and clear expression for the two houses," explained Martin Videgård, who runs the studio in partnership with Bolle Tham.

"The open and exposed situation along the shoreline with beautiful views triggered a facade which is both sheltering and transparent," he told Dezeen. "The arch shapes met these criteria, as well as integrating partitions between the apartments."

Related story: Tham & Videgård draws up designs for "Sweden's statistically most sought-after home"

The balconies form a kind of outer skin for the building, allowing the actual perimeter walls to be recessed back. But both surfaces are finished in matching tones ? black...