Saving Lund’s Regional Archives

Feb 2011

By Karen Cilento — Filed under: Architecture News , Lund, Sweden

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Dating back to the early 1900s, Carl Möller designed a masonry building to house the local and regional government records of designated Swedish provinces, which was then expended in 1971 by Bernt Nyberg’s extension. Situated in Lund, this branch of the Regional Archives is categorized as a prime example of Sweden’s modernist brick architecture – a tradition that began with architect Sigurd Lewerentz and his collaboration with Erik Gunnar Asplund for the Chapel of the Resurrection at Woodland. The building has become an icon of Swedish architecture with its historic Helsingborg brick, limited fenestration and a sprawling Virginia Creeper climbing its walls.

Thanks to our friends from studiometrico, we’ve learned that this historic building may be facing an unfortunate future as it was sold to become student housing. Such a drastic programmatic shift would create a completely new aesthetic for the building, as large windows, which would be necessary for the residences, would punch through the brick wall.

More about the building after the break.

“The archive was sold…to become student housing. The purpose is good but cannot justify the means…Such a conversion would be great to renew by destroying, and it has no place in the 2000s. Truly proactive sustainable urban development is to work with the given conditions, and so manage and form milieus capital – economically, ecologically, socially and culturally,” explained Thomas Hellquist for Sydsvenska Dagbladet.

A petition with approximately 500 names has been created to save the archives stating that, “The undersigned hereby demands that Bernt Nyberg archives building is not corrupted by piercing of unbroken walls or other exterior changes that shatters the architectural integrity of the extension and ensemble.” To help save the Regional Archives, please sign here.

: © Matt Hall

: © Matt Hall

: © Matt Hall

: © Matt Hall

: © Matt Hall

: © Matt Hall

: © Matt Hall

: © Matt Hall

: © Matt Hall

: © Matt Hall

: © Olof Hultin

Cite:
Cilento , Karen . "Saving Lund’s Regional Archives" 15 Feb 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 22 May 2012. <http://www.archdaily.com/111920>

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up_today_arch says:

Fantastic building, very nice composition of elevations…. to rebuild such iconik building should be the subject for competition I guess…

# February 15, 2011 at 11:00

M. Hall says:

A competition would be an excellent idea. There are a number of possibilities for other programs, or even making student housing work in a way that respects the integrity of the original design.

# February 15, 2011 at 18:25

AB says: