Focus on Re-use: Arrhov Frick’s Transformation of ArkDes

ArkDes is undergoing a significant refurbishment led by the architectural firm Arrhov Frick ↗.

Since the spring of 2022, the firm has been working on the project, with 80% of materials—such as steel, wood, and glass from previous exhibitions—being reused to create new, dynamic environments that highlight the museum’s world-unique collections. The museum’s premises on Skeppsholmen have been closed since August 2023 to facilitate this work and will reopen on Friday, September 27, 2024.

The project includes materials from Tham & Videgård’s previous exhibition “Tham & Videgård – On: Architecture.” For instance, 108 glass panels from the exhibition are being transformed into tables and display cases to showcase original items from the museum’s collection. This initiative is an example of how the museum aims to reduce its footprint by re-using existing resources.

Further re-use includes materials from Boxen, a structure made of steel and birch plywood that has been used for exhibitions on contemporary design and architecture. These materials are being repurposed to create new structures and furniture designed to highlight ArkDes’s collections in a new way.

Facts:

• 80% of the glass from the exhibition “Tham & Videgård – On: Architecture” is being re-used, with the rest kept as a reserve.
• 30% of the boxes from the exhibition “Tham & Videgård – On: Architecture” are being re-used.
• 70% of the steel from Boxen is being re-used.
• 100% of the plywood from Boxen is being re-used.
• Materials that cannot be re-used for furniture are being sent for recycling.