In celebration of the survival of our bell, and in extension the entire architectural programs rise from the ashes, we hereby invite you to join us at the Fire Festival to ring in the next prosperous, and hopefully fire-free, 100
years!
Have you heard about the ugliest building in Sweden?
Long ago, in a place filled with beautiful houses and stunning views, stood the small capital of Sweden. A
place of sovereignty and beauty, a place that people traveled far and wide to see the stunning architecture of. A romanticized city with a history and soul.
And then came the Architecture school. In a bout of irony, the very school which educated Sweden’s
architects, has repeatedly been voted the ugliest building in Stockholm, and even the entirety of Sweden.
A place that lacked beauty compared to its neighboring houses, details forgotten in the concrete sea and small windows that glared at those passing by. The house stood out compared to the beauty of those around it, who bathed in soul and details. Instead the old school held the brutal and raw aesthetic, a thing people avoided and scowled at if their eyes were to cross its path. Most people worried for the future, how could the people who were supposed to create beautiful and functional houses ever be able to achieve that if they
resided and were taught in such a hideous place?
But despite its hard criticism, some people still celebrated and adored the brutalistic structure. They loved the function it held and strongly believed that the building served its function as an educational institution well.
But one night, on the 4th of May 2011, flames engulfed the building. Originating from the place of creation and creativity, the workshop, fire reached high and treacherous. It ate away the building, leaving it bare and destroyed. Unfortunately, it wasn’t completely destroyed… But at least the architects got to move!
Okay, maybe that was a bit harsh. In fact, many of the architects educated there continue to praise the
building, its internal qualities missed. The old school was spacious, and housed its own architectural library and laboratories, among many other features. It held a lot of functionalities that the new school would come to lack.
Additionally, the fire destroyed much of the school’s equipment, as well as the entirety of the architecture chapters’ storage space. Miraculously, the sole surviving item was the architecture chapter’s beloved gasque bell. It would end up with some minor damage, but people were forever grateful that the celebratory object survived. A signifier of the architectural chapter’s 100th jubilee and of its resilience.
In 2014 a new architecture school was erected. The new building is a modern work of art, drawn by architects Tham & Videgård. It sits right by the campus entrance, and towers over campus in a tasteful manner. The rustic building joined the campus, catching eyes while also melting flawlessly into the old architecture. And with the fire, a new celebration began and the Fire Festival started! Not only to celebrate the old that we lost, but also the new we gained.
And so, in celebration of the survival of our bell, and in extension the entire architectural programs rise from the ashes, we hereby invite you to join us at the Fire Festival to ring in the next prosperous, and hopefully
fire-free, 100 years!
