[+One Tower, Image courtesy of Tham & Videgård]
Tham & Videgård have built an international reputation for their thoughtful, disciplined approach to architecture. We recently sat down with founders Bolle Tham and Martin Videgård at their Stockholm office to discuss the evolution of Scandinavian design, navigating competitions, and the role of architects in an increasingly technical industry. Read part 1 of the interview here.
BUILD: Having been in Stockholm for a few days now, we visited the Norra Tornen project by OMA; it’s surprising that a major Swedish commission went to a foreign firm. Why does this happen when there’s so much local talent here?
BT: Sweden is a very open country in that sense, and we’re very progressive in terms of inviting international actors.
MV: Maybe too open. We’re not as protectionist as maybe we should be.
BT: But it’s kind of frustrating to see how often Sweden invites architects from Denmark, Norway, Finland, Holland, France, Spain, and England to do important buildings, while Swedish architects are invited less frequently to competitions in these countries. I think we’ll look back at this and wonder how this could have happened.
BT: Many international architects come here to Sweden and build their worst buildings, not because they lack talent but because the Swedish process and construction industry is so complex. We have many architect friends that come to Sweden and are surprised by all of the regulations and that the architect is not in charge in the same way as in their home countries.
[Norra Tornen project by OMA, photo by Andrew van Leeuwen]
How do you prepare for recessions?
BT: During the last couple of recessions, we’ve been lucky to have a few large projects that kept moving forward. Winning a competition or two at the right time can keep a medium-sized firm like ours stable through a tough economy, whereas the larger firms are much more challenged by recessions. With the current recession, we have shrunk our office from 30 people down to 20 to adapt. When we win another big competition, perhaps we’ll hire on a few more people. There’s no fixed idea about a certain size that the firm should be now or in the future. The projects and the architecture are the focus, and our size changes depending on the needs of the clients.
MV: We have a couple of very large projects at the moment that should keep us stable as the global economy changes. One is a high-rise in Gothenburg, and another is an office building here in Stockholm. There is also the Gasworks project in Stockholm, which involves an entire campus.
BT: We’re also working on a 600–700-unit urban development project south of Stockholm called Stora Sköndal.
MV: There are many projects currently on our desks, but high lending rates and increasing construction costs are causing some projects to freeze.
[Gasworks District, Image courtesy of Tham & Videgård]
You’ve been business partners for nearly 26 years now. What are the important ingredients that make your partnership so successful?
MV: We haven’t divided our responsibilities between us—so, it’s not as though I’m good at one thing and Bolle is good at something else. We are, more or less, the same and have similar views. Instead of arguing and fighting against our own qualities, we can collaborate and add more to the discussion.
BT: We were friends before starting the firm together, and we still enjoy each other’s company. We did a few projects together early on, and we had enough fun that we just kept on doing it.
The population of architectural models in the office indicates that physical, hand-built models are an important part of the design process here. Can you speak to that?
BT: The physical models are always a good complement to the 3D models and renderings that we also create. Physical models catch light exactly the same way as the full-scale building, so we take the models outside and ensure that we’re on the right track.
MV: Also, models in the computer can often distort a project with the angle of view, and everything becomes overly fantastic. The physical models help us understand the true proportions of a project.
How do you think architects will evolve as AI becomes more sophisticated in the architecture industry?
BT: I think our roles as architects will be basically the same; we’ll just need fewer people to complete the work. AI will be like telling 10 talented designers to draw their best. What takes a day or two now will take two seconds in the future with AI.
MV: But the human architect will remain the decision maker. The technology could really democratize the design industry, and smaller offices will be able to propose and deliver quite a lot. With AI, smaller offices will be able to compete with large, 100+ person firms who currently have the advantage of a large staff to produce volumes of work.
[Karlberg Castle Park project, Image courtesy of Tham & Videgård]
What are you currently working on that you’re excited about?
MV: The Karlberg Castle Park project will be breaking ground this year. It’s a school for military officers within a huge park in the center of Stockholm.
BT: The concrete and glass building sits adjacent to the Karlberg Castle, which was completed in the 17th century and was home to the royal family. The plan reflects the classical order of the castle, while accommodating up to 500 students at a time in the canteen.
MV: Another competition we won is the +One Tower in Gothenburg. This 400-room hotel also serves as the gateway to the largest fair in northern Europe, which occurs just behind the structure. We developed a glazing system with Buro Happold that includes blinds that reflect sun and heat to create a sort of climate membrane.
BT: This allows the architecture to become very transparent while the building is still very energy-efficient.
Your office is right around the corner from one of my favorite bookstores in the world, Konst/ig Books, and I’m heading there next.
BT: Please say hello to Helene for us.
Bolle Tham and Martin Videgård are co-founders of Tham & Videgård Arkitekter, established in Stockholm in 1999. Graduates of the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, they have developed an internationally recognized body of work defined by clarity, innovation, and a strong connection to context. Their projects reinterpret Scandinavian design traditions for the contemporary era, spanning competitions, exhibitions, and built work across a wide range of scales.