25-04-2019

Boxen by Dehlin Brattgård Arkitekter for ArkDes

Dehlin Brattgård Arkitekter,

Kristofer Johnsson, Johan Dehlin,

Stockholm, Sweden,

Architecture and Culture, Museums,

Interior Design,

The Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design in Stockholm, better known as ArkDes called an anonymous design competition to identify architectural proposals for a new gallery to be inserted in one of the museum's two large exhibition halls.



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Boxen by Dehlin Brattgård Arkitekter for ArkDes The Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design in Stockholm, better known as ArkDes called an anonymous design competition to identify architectural proposals for a new gallery to be inserted in one of the museum's two large exhibition halls. Up-and-coming Swedish firm Dehlin Brattgård Arkitekter won the competition with Boxen.


A space where alternative voices can inform discussions about architecture, design, and their relationship to society. This is Boxen, the new gallery space in one of the two large exhibition halls of ArkDes, the Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design in Stockholm. Previously known as the Museum of Architecture (Arkitekturmuseet), the venue is located on the island of Skeppsholmen, in the same complex as the modern art museum Moderna Museet.
And, according to the jury comprised of Pye Aurell Ehrström (Marge Architects), Kieran Long (director of ArkDes) and Sandra Nolgren (head of communications, ArkDes), an up-and-coming Swedish firm, Dehlin Brattgård Arkitekter really got the idea. They appreciated “the industrial character of the proposal” as a unique new element in the 19th-century gymnasium, “revolving around ArkDes’ new focus as an arena in which a more traditional discussion of architecture and design can interact with new fields.” Along these lines, Boxen's exposed utilitarian structure makes a bold statement in a hall once used for military training, which brings it closer to the building extension that was added by Rafael Moneo in the 1990s and provides a small gallery space for fast-moving, more affordable and more experimental exhibitions and curatorial projects. This was missing at ArkDes, which wanted to provide an exhibition platform that could respond to the new needs of the creative world.
Dehlin Brattgård Arkitekter competed against Christin Svensson Architecture and Krupinski Krupinska Arkitekter and designed a structure that uses its own architecture to craft a transformative experience both inside and around this addition to the museum space. Steel, birch plywood, and wire mesh combine in a 156-square metre rectangle to create two distinct exhibition environments: an interior white-box, which gives the project its name - Boxen - and a ramp that winds right around the exterior to give visitors multiple views and perspectives of the ideas on display. 
The volume's muted tones of white and grey blend in with its surroundings, while the exposed structure makes a bold statement, featuring a visible structural framework and a corrugated steel roof, which is raised up to allow light to enter from above. It is a nod to minimalism in general and to the practical nature of Scandinavian design in general.
Dehlin Brattgård Arkitekter has crafted a contemporary space that to untrained eyes may look simple. But in actual fact, it can be interpreted and used in lots of different ways, which is a perfect match for the philosophy of ArkDes that delivers a very wide-ranging, future-focused programme. The Future Starts Here is the name of the exhibition running right now, which explores how the future is shaped by the design and technology being developed today. It features 80 innovations and gives us an idea of where society might be headed. Guided by ethical and speculative questions, The Future Starts Here invites the visitor to consider what impact these objects might have on your bodies, your home, your work and your planet – ultimately your life and death. The exhibition also includes lots of fringe events and some online exclusives that you can discover on the ArkDes website.

Christiane Bürklein

Architects: Dehlin Brattgård Arkitekter 
Structural Engineer: DIFK AS / Florian Kosche
Steel Construction: Promostal
Building: Eckerud EQT
Light Installation: El och scenteknik – Anders Bill
Timelapse Film: Mats Eriksson
Photography: Johan Dehlin. Kristofer Johnsson
Graphic Design: Studio Reko 
Location: ArkDes, Stockholm, Sweden
Year: 2018
Find out more: https://arkdes.se/en

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