{"id":33312,"date":"2025-10-08T13:40:31","date_gmt":"2025-10-08T11:40:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arkdes.se\/?post_type=project&p=33312"},"modified":"2026-03-13T15:00:38","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T14:00:38","slug":"town-halls-municipal-buildings-city-halls","status":"publish","type":"project","link":"https:\/\/arkdes.se\/en\/projects\/town-halls-municipal-buildings-city-halls\/","title":{"rendered":"Town halls, municipal buildings, city halls: the architecture of Swedish democracy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n Njurunda Municipal Building. Architect: Uhlin & Malm. Photographer: Sune Sundahl, 1953. ArkDes collection.<\/i>\n \n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Anna Livia Vørsel is an architectural historian and researcher. Her project Town halls, municipal buildings, city halls: the architecture of Swedish democracy<\/em> examines municipal government buildings in Sweden built after the Second World War. These buildings—such as town halls (kommunhus), municipal buildings (kommunalhus), courthouses (rådhus), and city halls (stadshus)—house local administrations, social services, and sometimes public facilities like libraries or reception areas. The offices, council rooms, and meeting rooms within these are where the work of Swedish democracy takes place through meetings between politicians, civil servants, and citizens.<\/p>\n

As the Swedish welfare state developed from the 1930s onward, national governance was reorganised, reducing the number of municipalities from 2,500 to 270. The new, larger municipalities required modern buildings, leading to the construction of new town halls (kommunhus) and city halls (stadshus) across the country. Since then, many of these buildings have changed: some have been renovated, repurposed, or privatised, while others have become outdated or need repair.<\/p>\n

Using archival material from architects such as Tore and Erik Ahlsén, Carl Nyrén, Sten Samuelsson, and others in the ArkDes collection, the project studies these buildings at different scales. It explores how architects helped shape these physical spaces of democracy and public administration and asks what democratic spaces might look like today and what role architecture plays in creating them.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n

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Guest Researcher<\/h2>\n \n

Anna Livia V\u00f8rsel<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

Financier<\/h2>\n \n

ArkDes<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

Project timeline<\/h2>\n \n

Autumn of 2025<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

About the Guest Researcher Program<\/h2>\n \n

Since 2021, ArkDes has hosted guest researchers for short-term residencies of three to six months, focusing on specific questions related to the ArkDes collection. The aim of the program is to introduce a wider range of perspectives into the ongoing research on the collection and to make academic knowledge more accessible to the public.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

Research Outcomes<\/h2>\n \n

The outcomes of several guest researcher projects have shaped and enriched the exhibition ArkDes Collectio<\/em>n<\/a>, which opened in 2024. The exhibition is updated annually with new original objects, and research conducted through the Guest Researcher Program can influence both its themes and content.<\/p>\n

Guest researchers also share their work through public events and an annual research conference hosted by ArkDes. Calls for new guest researchers are announced annually, typically during the spring semester.<\/p>\n

For more information about current or past projects, please contact: info@arkdes.se<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n

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\n Stockholm\n <\/address>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n \n \n Open call for guest-researchers 2025 \u2013 ArkDes collection\n <\/h2>\n <\/a>\n \n
\n \n The collection\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n \n
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