New Gallery Space at ArkDes in Stockholm by Dehlin Brattgård Arkitekter.

Boxen is a new studio gallery at ArkDes, the Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design in Stockholm, completed in 2018 by locals Dehlin Brattgård Arkitekter.

As the name suggests, the gallery is contained within a box structure set in the middle of one of two 19th century military exercise halls, appropriated as cultural venues in the 1960’s.

Boxen adds a new element of utilitarian architecture to the myriad of spaces throughout the museum, and will be used to showcase experimental, fast-changing works. Built out of pre-fabricated standard section steel, the framework conversely carries an inherent sense of discipline and rigidity. The blank canvas effect of birch plywood and white plasterboard interior contrasts the external chain-link wire mesh, adaptable for use in informal exhibition displays and effectively doubling the useable wall space in the wider hall.

Visible from the entrance lobby, the gallery is adjacent to a permanent exhibition collection and connects directly to a temporary exhibition hall. Multiple openings provide a natural flow through both Boxen and the museum beyond. A ramp wraps around the gallery, allowing visitors to observe the exhibitions within from multiple vantage points.

Visitors are positioned as an integrated part of Boxen’s external expression, adding a dynamic element to the rigidity of the cube structure. Specific spatial relationships between the gallery and the surrounding hall appear as the ramp ascends through the space. The corrugated steel roof is propped up above Boxen’s walls by steel beams, both connecting the gallery to the surrounding hall and allowing natural daylight to filter through.

The symmetrical, generous dimensions and white walls of the interior room provide a neutral background for both exhibitions and events, a literal interpretation of the traditional ‘white box’ gallery concept. Classic double-square proportions and a threshold at the main entrance emphasize the transition from the temporary exhibition space in the neighbouring hall.