Visit ArkDes

Library and Research Services

*Unknown woman reading a book in a library. 1965. Photographer: Sune Sundahl. ArkDes collection.*

ArkDes Library

The ArkDes Library is a specialist library for architecture and design. The collection includes a unique mix of donations and purchased literature, both books and journals. It also holds book collections from some of Sweden’s leading architects.

We are an architecture library open to everyone. Our books are available at the library on Skeppsholmen and can also be borrowed via interlibrary loan.

Our collection of books can be searched through Libris ↗, the shared catalogue of Swedish libraries.

Log in ↗ to check your loans and renew books. Here, you can also access international articles from the Art & Architecture database.

We subscribe to a large number of magazines and have more than 1 000 titles in our collection. Many of the magazine issues come from architects’ personal libraries, and we have everything from individual issues to complete series. Here you can find details about which magazines we currently subscribe to.

Outside the library, there’s a book drop where you can return books when the library is closed.

Looking for information about ArkDes Library’s borrowing rules? Click here.

*Photo: Emma Fredriksson* ArkDes Library.

Research Services

ArkDes’ collection of four million items is a fascinating treasury, brimming with stories, open for everyone to discover. Through our researcher service, we provide materials for those who wish to delve deeper into the collection. By engaging more people in exploring ArkDes’ collection, we can present a parallel history of architecture, featuring different buildings and names than those typically seen in history books.

The collection is available to all. To access the original materials managed by ArkDes, you need to book an appointment through the Research Services booking form. Research services are open every other Thursday from 13:00 to 16:00. Each semester, ArkDes releases bookable slots.

The objects in the ArkDes collection constitute a museum collection and are not documents governed by the Swedish state’s transparency regulations (’Allmänna handlingar’).

Parts of ArkDes’ material from the collection are available and searchable in digital form. Start by searching in our databases:

DigitaltMuseum ↗

Find drawings, sketches, photographs, letters, archival documents, models, books and prints from our collections.

Architects in ArkDes’ collection

Here you will find an alphabetical list of architects and other creators represented in ArkDes collections through drawings, photographs, written documents, and models.

KulturNav ↗
A register of architects who are or have been active in Sweden.

Europeana ↗
A European database featuring books, photographs, films, and sculptures from various European galleries, libraries, archives, and museums.