The Swedish Kasper Salin Prize 2018 is awarded to Hamra studio dwelling

– It is gratifying to see a delicate small-scale architectural gem as a winner in this tough competition. The house is an expressive addition to a unique natural and cultural environment far from the big city pulse. Congratulations to the winner and congratulations to Gotland for its first Kasper Salin Prize! says Architects Sweden’s president Tatjana Joksimović.

Architects Sweden awards the Kasper Salin Prize annually to a Swedish building or group of buildings of high architectural quality. The prize was founded in 1962 with a donation from former Stockholm City Architect Kasper Salin (1856–1919). The prize consists of a bronze relief to be affixed to the winning building. Former prize winners include the City Hall in Kiruna by Artur von Schmalensee (recently knocked down), Kalmar Art Museum by Tham & Videgård and the visitors centre of the Cathedral in Lund by Carmen Izquierdo.

The jury statement:

A small building with a special design responds with great empathy to the specific requests of the client. The result is an ingenious house, which, with its wide variety of possible uses, private as well as public, is considerably larger than its square metres. As an experimental box, the house comprises unexpected solutions and experiences following on from an exploratory process. A rare collaboration between architect, contractor and builder has resulted in a skilfully executed building replete with architectural qualities.

Hamra ateljébostad is the result of an active commitment between the architect, the builder and the client. Ateljébostad means studio dwelling in Swedish and as the name reveals, the winning project has multiple uses. The house is both a home for the artist Birgitta Burling and her family, a studio while incorporating a public zone to hold talks, show movies etc.

The jury for the Kasper Salin prize 2018 was comprised of architects Thomas Sandell (chairman), Ewa Westermark, Johan Oscarson and Beate Holmebakk. Jury secretary was architect Tove Dumon Wallsten. The jury is appointed by Architects Sweden’s Academy of Architecture.

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