architecture - photography

A collection of things I find interesting.

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do you remember my friend focus-huset? well, this is his closest neighbor. a gymnasium and a swimming pool. and a place where i’ve waited for the bus many many many many many many many hours during cold winter days. 

it’s not one of my favorites from back home, but it has enough of pretty details and quasi-cool architectural approaches to be considered as a building worth visiting. the dark brick building is, after a second thought, quite nice with its window layout and its asymmetrical shapes. maybe it is one of my favorites after all. or maybe i’m once again blinded by nostalgia. no one knows.

ok, until next time,

E

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Decided to take a short break from being home-town nostalgic and show you these photos instead. I’m really really excited about them - i’ve actually developed them myself and now i’m 100 % hooked on film developing. such a pleasing activity. 

so, these are some of the pictures. a few from back home, and a few from Los Angeles. For being the very first roll of film i’ve developed myself, i’m very happy about how they came out. 

ok, more later.

E

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two things i like:

a) handmade bricks

b) old abandoned buildings

as everyone knows - if you take two good things and put them together you'll end up with something even better. 

so, look, here. an old abandoned brick building. 

it’s nice, isn’t it? 

p.s. sorry for the lack of focus. i couldn’t concentrate in the presence of those wonderful bricks. d.s.

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Now, i’ve realized that my last post about my dear friend Focushuset might have been a bit one-sided - and that it’s not a building that breathes a very classical beauty. I guess it’s an acquired taste. With that said - here’s a building that no one can dislike. A true gem, which is simply gorgeous.

I’m talking about the church in Malmberget - Allhelgonakyrkan, which was designed by one of Sweden’s most accomplished architects - Hakon Ahlberg.

It has a very unique appearance, with its very steep shingle roof and its snow-white walls. Not to mention the shingle covered steeple.

The inside of the church is incredibly decorated. The painting in the ceiling is absolutely amazing. almost like a child painting - naive in both appearance and motif, but very very beautiful.

I know that I say this a lot, but I really really love this building.

ok, thanks,

E

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Ok, I’d like you to meet Focushuset. This is one of my tallest friends in my hometown. In fact, it is the tallest one, with its thirteen floors. It stands in the middle of town like a  reminder of the belief in the future, the welfare and the optimism that prevailed during its construction in the sixties. I think this is a great building.

Now I guess I should line up a few reasons why’s that, but I ain’t gonna.  Some things just are great; like morning coffee. or Nina Simone’s rendition of ”Mr. Bojangles”. or ice cream. or Focushuset.

Anyhow, there you have it, everyone’s old friend, Focushuset.

ok, thanks, E

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Now, this is a building that I’ve wanted to visit for some time. It is a visitor center in the World Heritage site Laponia, where one can learn about the mountains, the forests, about Sami culture and about the wild-life in the area. It is designed by Wingårdhs architects, and was finished last year. 

Sami culture and handicraft has always been very rooted in nature, and the architects of this building have tried to implement the same sort of ideas in their design but reimagined in a contemporary way. The influences of Sami culture are there: in colors, in patterns and in materials for sure, but also in the way the building is meant to be used. For instance, how the fireplace is placed in the centre of the room as in the traditional sami hut - the goahti.

It is quite a beautiful building, and I think it’ll only get better over the years when the harsh weather of Laponia has done its work. I’d really like to visit this little gem sometime during the winter season. It really must be wonderful to get in from the cold outdoors and gather round the fireplace. 

p.s. they serve some out of this world waffles there, so make sure to get some if you ever visit. 

ok, thanks,

E

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This is a real pretty one. An old yellow petrol station, now a pizzeria, with a wonderful wonderful canopy roof. Built in 1937, time has taken its toll on some of its parts, but I think that’s fine regarding its age. 

It’s so simple but yet so very pleasing to look at. The curvature of the roof. The bright red against the light yellow. Lovely!

That quite hideous aluminum door fitting is of course not original, and it’s a pity someone, at some point, believed that that was a good idea. But I guess one can’t ask for too much. I still love you, oh bruised and battered old petrol station.

ok, thanks,

E

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I guess one has to consider this building to be one the most remarkable around. A big wooden castle in the middle of nowhere. Sort of nowhere, at least. Like something from a Disney-tale. 

Built in 1888, in a, sort of, swiss chalet style. Very ornamented and very monumental. 

As a child I always believed it was haunted by ghosts - and to be honest I think I still do. If I were a ghost I would for sure wanna live there at least. 

A lovely building. I really like it a lot. But then again, who wouldn’t like a big Disney-castle? 

ok, thanks,

E

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ok, I’d like to devote some time to write about some of the architecture in the town that I grew up in. I’ve never really thought about it until now, but there are a lot of truly incredible buildings here, even though some being quite worn down by time.

There’s really nothing fancy about them, but to me many of them look absolutely beautiful. so beautiful that I think they’re worth being documented.

So, I guess the next week or so will consist of a handful of appreciation posts of my hometown and the buildings that makes up this small town. It’ll probably be a bit uncritical given the fact that I’ll probably be super-biased being a nostalgic soul and all.  

Anyhow, this is the first building i’d like to show. I really don’t know that much about it, and it has sort of slipped my mind until very recently when I passed it walking home from a bar, in the middle of the night - and I looked at it and thought ‘this is an amazing building’.

What I do know, though, is that it’s called “the blue school”, and I guess it once was a school, but no longer is. I also now that it’s quite an odd bird in its surroundings, there’s really nothing like it. And as already mentioned, it’s a bit worn down and it has lost some of its paint here and there, but it really doesn’t matter that much. 

I guess it could be mistaken for a bunch of containers or something like that, but it’s really far from it actually. Its detailing and design is really quite sophisticated, if you ask me. I love love love it.

oh, and the town I’m talking about is Gällivare. a small town 100 kilometers north of the arctic circle. and it’s wonderful.  

ok, more later, thanks,

E

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Three things I like:

a) my hometown.

b) reindeer.

c) ice cream.

c. has nothing to do with the photoset, but I really really do like ice cream. ok?

ok, thanks,

E

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Back home in northern Sweden. Been spending some time by the, as always, amazing river.  here’s some photos from this morning.

ok, thanks,

E

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If I could I would live in a greenhouse. They’re amazing, aren’t they?

ok,

E

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I’ve been having this amazing urge to travel lately, but I can’t ’cause I have a work to go to. So in an attempt of easing this urge I’ve been taking walks around Stockholm instead, and here’s what I’ve realized:

a) there are lot of places I haven’t been to in Stockholm.

and 

b) these walks tend to become quite long, since you always want to know what’s behind the next corner, or behind the next hill. My feet are really hating me for that right now. 

Anyhow - I just came back from one of these walks, and I stumbled upon a group of fantastic buildings next to a cemetery. From what I can understand it is for the people who works at the cemetery, with offices, workshops and storage spaces. 

I actually believe it’s one of the best modern buildings that I’ve seen in Stockholm. Truly amazing. The materials, and how they connect to each other, have been refined in a very sophisticated way. It’s really quite minimalistic, but you can really feel that it has been worked with - when designed and when built. And look how it has weathered. Beautiful! 

A bit of research led me to understand that it’s designed by Petra Gripp and Katarina Lundeberg, and built in 2011.

I absolutely love it. 

ok, thanks,

E

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Just wanted to let you guys know that I during the past weekend have:

a) eaten the most amazing cake ever.

and

b) witnessed the always as amazing midnight sun.

ok, thanks

E

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I could probably look at this building forever. Those turning signs are mesmerizing, aren’t they? 

Built between 1960 and 1964, and designed by Paul Hedqvist. Pay notice to the exterior stairwell - later to become a trademark in Hedqvist architecture. 

I really, really like this building. More buildings should have gigantic moving signs  beneath their eave, right?

ok, thanks,

E

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ok, here’s a couple of pictures from a concert I went to last night. Martin Wirén Quartet played at a jazzfestival in Stockholm. Immensely talented musicians. The weather was great and the music was great - all in all it was a great evening. 

Now, go ahead and TREAT yourself by listening to some of his music. You can find it here: Soundcloud 

ok, thanks,

E

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ok, I don’t usually find close up pictures of flowers or whatnot that interesting - but I’m in a very good mood today and I think I’ll let myself be a bit uninspired when it comes to the picture this time. It’s very summerish at least, you got to give me that.

Anyhow - this really marks the beginning of this year’s summer. Tonight there’ll be a big big big big big big end of school party. That’ll be great. Think I’ll bring my Agfa Silette to document some of the evening.

and now to the initial reason for this post: I just wanted to wish you all a great summer. SO: I hope you all have a great summer!

ok, thanks,

E