The library opened in 1998 as the first architectural library in Sweden with an ambition to serve both researchers and non-professionals. The collection contains more than 24 000 books and magazines published in the 20th century to the present. Emphasis is on Swedish architecture with Nordic and international references, mostly in English.
Special collections
Most of the volumes are donations from the bookshelves of Swedish architects, architectural historians and institutions. More than 300 donators have contributed to the library since 1962, when the Swedish architects association, SAR, started the museum.
Among the donations you can find the collections from for example Gotthard Johansson, Gunnar Morssing, Uno Åhrén, Lennart Holm, David Helldén and Carin Boalt. Below you can browse some other prominent examples from the collection:
Ingeborg Wærn Bugge
The book collection of Ingeborg Wærn Bugge, among the first women to graduate from a Swedish school of architecture.
>Browse the collection
Sven Markelius
The collection of the architect for Helsingborg's concert hall (1932) Sven Markelius, yet another architect involved in the Stockholm exhibition, can also be found in the library.
>Browse the collection
Fred Forbat
Born in Hungary, later employed by Walter Gropius and since 1938 based in Sweden, Fred Forbat has made an substantial imprint on Swedish urban planning with work such as "Skövde generalplan".
>Browse the collection
Special books
Our ambition is to keep books in original condition to give researcher the opportunity to view them as used by the donator. Many of the books in the library are both rare and filled with valuable curiosities such as the architects notes in the margins, dedications etctera. Some examples:
Acceptera
The functionalist manifesto Acceptera (Åhrén, Asplund, Lewerentz, Markelius et al) published in 1931 has recently been published in English in Modern Swedish design : three founding texts / by Uno Åhrén ... ; edited and with introductions by Lucy Creagh, Helena Kåberg, and Barbara Miller Lane, 2008.
Arkitektur och demokrati.
"Arkitektur och demokrati", written by Uno Åhrén can be found as part of the Fred Forbat collection.
Works in progress
Oscar Niemayer, "Works in progress", from 1956, written by Stamo Papadaki.
Links
Libris
LIBRIS is the joint national catalogue of the Swedish academic and research libraries, as well as about twenty public libraries, and is updated on a daily basis. At present the LIBRIS database contains almost 6 million titles. Try out the latest version! >Search Libris
Arkitektur
The catalogue holds information about articles published in the Swedish journal Arkitektur, formerly Byggmästaren. In Swedish. >Search Arkitektur
RIBA
The online catalogue provides details of all material held in the RIBA Library. The database is fully searchable by keyword, author, title, subject and series, and results can be printed, saved to disk or emailed. >Search Riba's online catalogue
ARKDOK
The local database of the Swedish museum of Architecture's archives where you can search the collection and order items to research. At present the index of Swedish architects (in Swedish), an index of drawings (in Swedish) as well as parts of the Picture bank is available online. >Search ARKDOK
