Wingårdhs Arkitektkontor AB

Wingårdhs is the result of a forty-year old dream to perform architecture. It has become a large office (the fifth largest in Sweden) with a broad production but the diversity does not primarily rise from multiple competences in the staff, but rather from a devotion to explore all possibilities in the art of building. The size of the office reflects the size of the commissions and our level of engagement. The large commissions create a margin that the minor jobs can benefit. Experiments do not always pay off, but they offer control. That’s why we always will carry on with projects of all scales. And the span in scales tends to broaden year by year. Originally devoted almost entirely to interiors and architecture, the office’s services are now asked for in urban planning as well as exhibition design and even furniture and lamp fittings. The office is defined by its combination of listening and decisiveness. A commitment to “sense-making” and to a broad acceptance of our proposals is matched by the power that emerges from having one single person in the top. The obvious advantage for the client is that all effort can be concentrated to the part where it is needed most. As a consequence, the office has gained a good reputation when it comes to execute the ideas in the buildings. The collaborators share a certain un-prestigious ambition. In the staff, some have served the office for twenty years or more. Each and everyone do add their specific professionalism. Around 150 devoted men and women who deal not only with planning but visualizing, writing, model making, landscapes, interiors, urban planning and graphic design as well. The office works as a smooth crew, guided by one vision. The creative process is based on communication. A sturdy independence when it comes to defend architecture in general, is altered to its opposite when it comes to actual projects. As listening is the keyword, the role of the architect is rather to create alternative ideas than to force the rejected ones to the customer. It comes rather natural. As long as the client whish new solutions, there is little need for us to be persistent with the old. Still, persistence is needed when reductions threatens the core of the design. It is a game of diplomacy and results in design integrity. It is a matter of listening, of timing and of credibility. Professional skill, personal relation and good chemistry guide the matchmaking of clients and consultant as well as teams within the office. We work interdisciplinary within the projects; architects, interior designers and engineers. The bottom line is performance. For the task to design the Paul Marshall Building for London School of Economics and Political Science, Wingårdhs have teamed up with Haptic in order to provide presence as well as diligence. We believe that you will find a creative, reliable and trustworthy partner in Wingårdhs and Haptic. Our experience in handling projects in all scales, comprising creative workplaces as well layouts for growing universities, makes us confident that we will meet LSE’s expectations on the future.