The Riksbank building

The Riksbank building
ARCHITECT PETER CELSING
Sveriges Riksbank
SE-103 37 Stockholm
Telephone + 46-8 -787 00 00
Fax +46-8 -21 05 31
www.riksbank.se
“Buildings tell us about the ambitions and values of the people who built them
or had them built. Architecture is history materialised and made visible.”
krister wickman
chairman of the general council of the riksbank 1964–1967
and governor of the riksbank 1973 –1976
The building
The new Riksbank building at Brunkebergstorg was completed in 1976 and
took six years to build. The black granite that covers the facades of the building
was quarried in Göinge in north Skåne. Stonemasons in Bohuslän worked the
large stone blocks, producing their rough surface.
On entering the building, visitors are met by walls, ceilings and furniture of
light, thinly cut birch from Norrland and Finland. The rooms and corridors are
adorned with sculptures, tapestries and oil paintings. Peter Celsing was not content with the customary architect role. He also designed the interior and engaged the services of artists Sivert Lindblom and Ulrik Samuelson at an early stage
of his work.
Celsing chose the colours for the interior together with the artist Olle Nyman.
Here, we encounter once again the black granite of the building's facades in the
panelling and floors. The walls are white, while the ceilings, pillars and carpets
are yellow.
Celsing used the geometric shapes of the circle and square as a basis for his
designs. The main structure of the house creates the impression of a huge cube;
the main entrance hall includes cylinder-shaped doors, the inner court forms a
square and the top floor is shaped like a dome. The circular and square shapes
are also recurrent features of the furniture and other decorative details.
As a contrast to the heavy structure and black granite, Celsing chose to decorate the interior with textiles. Several of the textiles were woven by Handarbetets
Vänner (the Friends of Textile Art).
The geometric shapes of the circle and square are recurrent features of the furniture, floors and
textiles.
previous page: The Riksbank building at Brunkebergstorg in central Stockholm.
Colours and materials based on the ideas of Peter Celsing were used for the new main entrance, which
was completed in 2002. Squares can be seen in the marble floor, while the circular shape is found in
the modern staff-access system. The reconstruction of the entire main entrance hall was designed by
the architectural firm of Johan Celsing, son of Peter Celsing.
Contrasts between warmth and coolness as well as between
light and dark permeate the whole building.
The tapestry guld och gröna
skogar (green and gold woodland)
in white, blue and gold, by the artist
Lennart Rodhe, hangs in the area
known today as Linné’s Lobby. The
lobby is a part of the old banking hall.
Originally, the area facing Brunkebergstorg
was a banking hall with cashier desks, etc.
Following reconstruction work, the room is
now used for press conferences and seminars.
Black granite is also found inside the building, although here it is smooth. The black colour contrasts
effectively with the light birch, the warm colour scheme and the yellow carpet.
The inner court was built in the shape of a square. The court ground is divided into
squares covered alternately with pebbles and greenery. The tree is a Japanese Katsura tree.
overleaf: The assembly room of the General Council and Executive Board boasts a view of the
Royal Castle and Norrström. Here, Peter Celsing chose to hang abundantia by Karl Axel Pehrson.
abundantia, meaning abundance, consists of two woven tapestries that hang from ceiling to floor
and depict a cornucopia of imaginary flora.
Celsing designed the furniture and carpets himself.
The tapestry on the wall is
called ekorum för en
fjäril (echo chamber for a
butterfly) and was designed
by the artist Ingegerd Möller.
The colour scheme in the
building is the result of
collaboration between
Peter Celsing and the artist
Olle Nyman.
In the staff restaurant, a flight of stairs leads employees to the upper recreational floor.
The circular and square shapes are recurrent features of the restaurant’s furniture and
other decoration.
The top floor of the Riksbank building comprises recreational areas for the staff, including a
sports hall, gym and swimming pool.
Beneath the copper and glass dome climbs a chestnut vine. The windows facing the inner
court run from floor to ceiling, creating a giddy though not uncomfortable sensation. The tiles,
which reflect the green, yellow and black colours of the plants, were designed by Peter Celsing,
Sivert Lindblom and Ulrik Samuelson.
The architect
During the post-war era, the Klara district of Stockholm was demolished.
The most prestigious assignments in the rebuilding of this district were given to
Peter Celsing. Born in 1920, Celsing was an architect and professor at the Royal
Institute of Technology, having trained at the Royal University College of Fine
Arts. Following graduation, he began his architectural career in Beirut.
On his return to Sweden, Celsing was appointed chief architect at Stockholms
Spårvägar (now Stockholm Transport) where he became involved in the planning of underground metro stations for Stockholm’s suburbs. In the 1950s,
Celsing designed the churches in Härlanda in Gothenburg, Almtuna in Uppsala
and Vällingby in Stockholm. He restored the university library Carolina Rediviva
in Uppsala as well as the Royal Opera House and the Operakällaren restaurant
in Kungsträdgården in Stockholm. In the 1960s, he also won two Nordic competitions which resulted in the Filmhuset building in Gärdet and Sergels Torg
including Kulturhuset. The new Riksbank building on Brunkebergstorg proved
to be his last project. Peter Celsing died on 16 March 1974. His final days as an
architect were spent working on the top floor where he recreated the “old attics
of his childhood”.
Some of Celsing’s sketches from the
small notebooks in which he used to try
out different alternatives for the facades.
History
The Riksbank was established in 1668 and is the world’s oldest central bank.
All the Riksbank buildings have always been located in the heart of Stockholm.
After a number of years at Storkyrkobrinken, where it was located in a palace
built by Axel Oxenstierna, the Riksbank moved to Järntorget in 1680 where for
the first time it was given its own building, designed by Tessin the Elder.
In 1907, the Riksbank moved next door to the Riksdag building in a newly
constructed area on Helgeandsholmen. Following the reform to a unicameral
system of parliament, the Riksdag required more space and this resulted in the
Riksbank moving to Brunkebergstorg in 1976.
Brunkeberg Ridge on Norrmalm long played a part in the defence of Stockholm. From the top of the steep, wooded ridge the military were able to control
the roads leading into the city from the north. So it was entirely in keeping with
tradition to keep the Riksbank’s vault in the interior of Brunkeberg Ridge.
Presumably, Brunkeberg was named after the 14th century Lord Chief Justice,
Johan Brunkow. Brunkow held office at the court of King Birger Magnusson,
and his life came to a dramatic end in 1391 when he was hanged on the gallows
of Brunkeberg.
In the Battle of Brunkeberg on 10 October 1471, one of the most famous
events in the history of Stockholm, the Swedes, led by Sten Sture the Elder,
defeated the Danes under Kristian I. The victory paved the way for Gustav Vasa’s
unification of Sweden as a free and independent kingdom.
The Riksbank’s first building of its own at Järntorget. The architect was Nicodemus Tessin the
Elder. The poet Carl Michael Bellman once
worked here.
Helgeandsholmen. From 1907 the Riksbank was located in the west wing of the current building.
The architect was Aron Johansson. The building was rebuilt during the latter part of the 1970s.
The facade overlooking the inner court. Green plants in tall, white pots line
the interior of the entire facade.
Photography Max Plunger, Daniel Hertzell (pages 6, 8, 9, 10, 15 and 21), Pressens Bild (page 18).
Graphic design by Kingston. Printing by Alfa Print, Sundbyberg 2003.