The Royal Institute of Art / Norell/Rodhe

The Royal Institute of Art / Norell/Rodhe - Image 6 of 15
© Mikael Olsson

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  • Architects: Norell/Rodhe
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  450
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2019
  • Photographs
    Photographs:Mikael Olsson
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  Fox Belysning, Massproductions, Mattiazzi, Åke Axelsson
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The Royal Institute of Art / Norell/Rodhe - Image 2 of 15
© Mikael Olsson

Text description provided by the architects. Architecture studio Norell/Rodhe has completed a new interior in an historical building for The Royal Institute of Art, a leading art school located on the island of Skeppsholmen in the heart of Stockholm, Sweden.

The Royal Institute of Art / Norell/Rodhe - Image 9 of 15
© Mikael Olsson

The Royal Institute of Art lost several ateliers and workshops in a devastating fire in 2016. In the aftermath of the fire, the institute decided to expand locally, utilising the existing building stock on the island. As a pilot project, Norell/Rodhe was asked to transform the interior of an old navy building into a new home for faculty and students working with photography, multimedia and moving images. The project explores a new pedagogical model, where hierarchies between professors, workshop staff and students are flattened by gathering them around a disciplinary subject rather than based on academic rank.

The Royal Institute of Art / Norell/Rodhe - Image 3 of 15
© Mikael Olsson

The building was erected as a small single storey building in 1732 and has since then gradually grown in all directions. It has undergone many shifts in function, from a mine factory for the navy, to different types of workshops and cultural activities. The design of the new interior sifts through these historical layers of the building, juxtaposing them against each other and against new additions. The programme is laid out in a sequence that spans from discursive spaces such as seminar rooms, to spaces for production, such as a film studio, video editing rooms, and a digital dark room.

The Royal Institute of Art / Norell/Rodhe - Image 5 of 15
© Mikael Olsson

The front part of the building facing the quay contains discursive spaces. This part is characterised by a long stretch of diagonally braced timber posts that were inserted when the building was extended vertically in the 1800s. Windows towards the quay are transferred onto the wall behind the posts in order to provide daylight for seminar rooms. The back part of the building faces a hill and is more industrial in character. It features skylights and an overhead crane and contains spaces for production. Several rooms can thanks to blinds, curtains and flexible furniture be used for film screenings.

The Royal Institute of Art / Norell/Rodhe - Image 13 of 15
The Royal Institute of Art / Norell/Rodhe - Image 14 of 15

Throughout the project, key existing elements such as the braced posts are articulated with colour and complimented with bespoke fittings and furniture with a monolithic materiality: A long table in cast concrete, shelving, cabinets and vitrines in pigmented particle board, and a kitchenette in stainless steel. Most rooms feature ceilings with exposed existing installations in white.

The Royal Institute of Art / Norell/Rodhe - Image 10 of 15
© Mikael Olsson

Chairs and stools for seminar rooms and social spaces were reused from the institute’s main building. The chair Lilla H (“Lowercase H”), and the Ateljépall (“Atelier stool”) were especially designed for the institute in the 1990s by renown Swedish furniture designer Åke Axelsson.

The Royal Institute of Art / Norell/Rodhe - Image 4 of 15
© Mikael Olsson

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Project location

Address:Slupskjulsvägen 26B, 111 49 Stockholm, Sweden

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Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
About this office
Cite: "The Royal Institute of Art / Norell/Rodhe" 10 Jul 2019. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/920558/the-royal-institute-of-art-norell-rodhe> ISSN 0719-8884

© Mikael Olsson

瑞典皇家艺术学院 / Norell / Rodhe

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