Sven Markelius
Encyclopedia
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
architects. Markelius played an important role in the post-war urban planning of Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, for example in the creation of the model suburb of Vällingby
Vällingby
Vällingby is a suburban district in Västerort in the north-western part of Stockholm Municipality, Sweden.Vällingby was planned in the early 1950s as a new town...
(1950s).
Born in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
in October 1889, he attended the Royal Institute of Technology
Royal Institute of Technology
The Royal Institute of Technology is a university in Stockholm, Sweden. KTH was founded in 1827 as Sweden's first polytechnic and is one of Scandinavia's largest institutions of higher education in technology. KTH accounts for one-third of Sweden’s technical research and engineering education...
and the Academy of Arts
Royal Swedish Academy of Arts
The Royal Swedish Academy of Arts or Kungl. Akademien för de fria konsterna, founded in 1773 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden...
in Stockholm from 1910 to 1915, later working at the offices of Ragnar Östberg
Ragnar Östberg
Ragnar Östberg was a Swedish architect who is most famous for designing Stockholm City Hall. He is the most famous architect within the so-called "national romanticist" movement in Sweden...
and Erik Lallerstedt. He developed an early interest in housing and planning, was one of the founder members of CIAM
CIAM
CIAM may refer to:* Commission Internationale Aeromodelling, a section of Fédération Aéronautique Internationale* Congrès International d'Architecture Moderne, the International Congress of Modern Architecture...
in 1928, and participated in the modernist housing section of the Stockholm International Exhibition (1930)
Stockholm International Exhibition (1930)
The Stockholm Exhibition was an exhibition held in 1930 in Stockholm, Sweden, that had a great impact on the architectural styles known as Functionalism and International Style....
, the birth of Swedish Functionalism.
In 1931, he co-authored with five other architects the book-length manifesto Acceptera! ("Accept!"), direct promotion of modernism as a set of cultural values. And his association with Swedish reformer Alva Myrdal
Alva Myrdal
Alva Myrdal was a Swedish sociologist and politician. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1982. She married Gunnar Myrdal in 1924....
resulted in a design for a 57-unit communal-living Collective House in the center of Stockholm, in 1935. The building offered communal amenities like childcare facilities and shared kitchen and meeting spaces, all at least partly inspired by the Narkomfin Building
Narkomfin Building
The Narkomfin Building is a block of flats in Moscow, designed by Moisei Ginzburg with Ignaty Milinis in 1928, and finished in 1932. Only two of four planned buildings were completed. The building is squeezed between old and new territories of United States Embassy at 25, Novinsky Boulevard...
in Moscow. Markelius lived in the Collective House himself for thirty years, serving as an unofficial handyman, to make sure the building still worked, and to demonstrate his commitment to the values of social housing.
Meanwhile, among his major civic projects, Markelius began work on the Concert Hall in Helsingborg
Helsingborg
Helsingborg is a city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 97,122 inhabitants in 2010. Helsingborg is the centre of an area in the Øresund region of about 320,000 inhabitants in north-west Scania, and is Sweden's closest point to Denmark, with the Danish city...
in 1932. In 1952, Markelius was nominated to the board of design consultants for the United Nations Secretariat Building
United Nations Secretariat Building
The United Nations Secretariat Building is a tall skyscraper and the centerpiece of the United Nations Headquarters, located in the Turtle Bay area of Manhattan, in New York City. The lot where the building stands is considered United Nations territory, although remains part of the United States.-...
by Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. Towards the end of his career the architect turned his attention to city planning.
In 1949 Markelius took the Howland Memorial Prize
Howland Memorial Prize
The Henry Howland Memorial Prize at Yale was created in 1915 for a "citizen of any country in recognition of some achievement of marked distinction in the field of literature or fine arts or the science of government." The idealistic quality of the recipient's work is an important factor in his...
, and in 1962, Markelius was awarded a Gold Medal
Royal Gold Medal
The Royal Gold Medal for architecture is awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects on behalf of the British monarch, in recognition of an individual's or group's substantial contribution to international architecture....
by the Royal Institute of British Architects
Royal Institute of British Architects
The Royal Institute of British Architects is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally.-History:...
.
Significant Buildings
- 1931 - Student Union at the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, with Uno ÅhrénUno ÅhrénUno Åhrén was a Swedish architect and city planner, and a leading proponent of Functionalism in Sweden....
- 1932 - Helsingborg Concert Hall (completed 1934)
- 1933 - Villa Markelius, his own home in Stockholm
- 1935 - Stockholm Collective House
- 1937 - Villa Myrdal
- 1939 - Swedish pavilion at the 1939 New York World's Fair1939 New York World's FairThe 1939–40 New York World's Fair, which covered the of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park , was the second largest American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904. Many countries around the world participated in it, and over 44 million people...
- 1945 and onward - city planning for the Redevelopment of NorrmalmRedevelopment of NorrmalmThe redevelopment of Norrmalm was a major revision of the city plan for lower Norrmalm in Stockholm, Sweden, which was realised during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. The renewal resulted in the old Klara quarters being replaced for the modern city of Stockholm, according to rigorist CBD ideas, while...
, Stockholm - 1952 - United Nations Economic and Social CouncilUnited Nations Economic and Social CouncilThe Economic and Social Council of the United Nations constitutes one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and it is responsible for the coordination of the economic, social and related work of 14 UN specialized agencies, its functional commissions and five regional commissions...
interior, at the United Nations Secretariat BuildingUnited Nations Secretariat BuildingThe United Nations Secretariat Building is a tall skyscraper and the centerpiece of the United Nations Headquarters, located in the Turtle Bay area of Manhattan, in New York City. The lot where the building stands is considered United Nations territory, although remains part of the United States.-...
, a gift to the United Nation from Sweden - 1953 - original city plan for VällingbyVällingbyVällingby is a suburban district in Västerort in the north-western part of Stockholm Municipality, Sweden.Vällingby was planned in the early 1950s as a new town...
- 1961-1966 - Sverigehuset Sweden House at KungsträdgårdenKungsträdgårdenKungsträdgården is a park in central Stockholm, Sweden. It is colloquially known as Kungsan.The park's central location and its outdoor cafés makes it one of the most popular hangouts and meeting places in Stockholm. It also hosts open-air concerts and events in summer, while offering an ice...
- 1962 - one of the five glass Hötorget buildingsHötorget buildingsThe Hötorget buildings are five high-rise office buildings in Stockholm, Sweden. Located between the squares Hötorget and Sergels Torg in the central Norrmalm district, they stand 72 meters tall and are a clearly visible landmark....
, Stockholm
External links
- sven-markelius.com
- Redesigning the American Dream, by Dolores Hayden