For more than 1,000 years the Strängnäs Cathedral have been a nerve centre of religion and culture in Sweden. Now a new chapter begins as the medieval cathedral will undertake change when the Danish practice AART, together with Swedish practice Bach Architects as sub-consultants, add a new chapter to the historical cathedral and its surrounding area. As developers on the project, Strängnäs Cathedral Assembly aim to embrace a diverse selection of activities and improve the area in and around the cathedral that depicts a vital, culture-bearing part of Strängnäs and the region at large.
A crossing between history and modernity
With this restoration AART creates space for new activities inside the hilltop cathedral, for example, housing exhibitions. Simultaneously, creating a new meeting point outside the cathedral, where the historical framework is complimented by three new buildings, that includes reception, café, fellowship hall, meeting facilities, and an information centre for visitors.
Image © AART
“Based on the building programme, we have analysed and identified the different needs of the audience. From this, we have created a proposal that strengthens the interaction between, not only the many activities, but between modernity and history. We did so by having a strong ambition to create an architectural entirety, thus, making sure that the cathedral – on the inside and outside – stands as a collective, historical environment with modern, accessible facilities,” head of AARTs Stockholm office, Marcus Grieser, adds.
From hilltop cathedral to underground cold-war museum
With the development of the hilltop cathedral, as well as other significant cultural buildings all over Scandinavia, such as, the new Viking Age Museum in Oslo and the new Danish Cold War Museum, REGAN-Vest, concealed 60-metre under Rold Forest in the northern part of Denmark, AART underpins their position as one of Scandinavia’s leading architectural firms in the field of culture. Source by AART.
Image © AART 
Image © AART