Gert Wingårdh facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gert Wingårdh
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Wingårdh in 2015
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| Born | 26 April 1951 Skövde
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| Nationality | Swedish |
| Alma mater | Chalmers University of Technology |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Awards | Kasper Salin Prize 1988, 1993, 2001, 2006 and 2007, ECSN European Award for Excellence in Concrete 2002, Prince Eugen Medal 2005, Mies van der Rohe Award nominee 2006, American Architecture Awards 2007, World Architecture Festival Award 2008, 2012 and 2013. |
| Practice | Wingårdh arkitektkontor AB |
| Buildings | Öijared Executive Country Club, Lerum, 1988, Astra Zeneca R&D Site, Mölndal, 1993-, Swedish Embassy, Berlin, 1999, Universeum Science Centre, Gothenburg, 2001, Auditorium and Student Union at Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, 2001, Housing at Bo01, Malmö, 2001, Arlanda flight control tower Arlanda, Sigtuna, 2001, Aranäs Senior High School, Kungsbacka, 2006, House of Sweden, Washington, D.C., 2003-06, Vällingby shopping centre, 2008, Stockholm, Müritzeum visitors centre, Mecklenburg, 2008, Citadellbadet swimming baths, Landskrona, 2005-07, Malmö Arena, Malmö, 2008, Building 10, Kista, 2010, Sven-Harry's Art Museum, Stockholm, 2005-11, Emporia shopping center, Malmö, 2007-12, Spira Concert hall and theatre, Jönköping, 2006-11, Naturum Tåkern, Mjölby, 2008-2011, Victoria Tower, Stockholm, 2008-11, Aula at Karolinska Institutet, Solna, 2006-13, Naturum Laponia, Gällivare, 2009-13, Kuggen at Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, 2011 |
| Projects | Victoria Olympia Stadium, Stockholm, 1996, Scandinavian Tower, Malmö, 1997, Dalsland Lodge, 2002, Breath of Life, Östersund, 2003, Glaskasten in Marl, North Rhine-Westphalia, 2005 |
Gert Wingårdh (born in 1951) is a famous Swedish architect. His company, Wingårdh arkitektkontor, works on projects all over the world. He is known for designing many different types of buildings, from shopping centers to embassies.
Contents
Early Life and Inspiration
Gert Wingårdh was born in 1951 in Skövde, Sweden. His father owned a cement factory, and their family home was built on a limestone mountain. These materials, cement and limestone, later became important in Gert's own building designs.
When he was ten, his family moved to Gothenburg. As a teenager, he became very interested in art and movies.
Education and Career Start
In the 1970s, Gert Wingårdh studied economics, art history, and architecture. He went to the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers University of Technology. He has shared that visiting the Pantheon, Rome in Italy made him decide to become an architect. Before that, he thought about owning an art gallery.
He earned his architecture degree from Chalmers in 1975. Gert Wingårdh first worked as an interior decorator. After graduating, he joined an architecture firm for a short time. Then, in 1977, he started his own company.
Notable Architectural Projects
Gert Wingårdh became widely known as an architect in 1988. This was after he designed the Öijared Executive Country Club near Gothenburg. This building even won him a special award called the Kasper Salin Prize.
International and Swedish Designs
In recent years, Gert Wingårdh has worked on many projects in the United States and Germany. He designed the Swedish embassies in Washington and Berlin. However, most of his completed buildings are in Sweden. Many of them are in the Gothenburg area.
In 2007, his company won a big international competition. This was to design a large new shopping center in Malmö. In the same year, a Swedish newspaper listed twelve of the most exciting architecture projects in Stockholm. Seven of these were designed by Wingårdh.
Some of his amazing ideas for buildings were never built. For example, there was a conference center in Östersund called "Breath of Life." It was planned to be on top of a mountain. Even though these projects weren't built, some of their cool features appeared in later designs. An example is the curved glass front of the Emporia shopping mall in Malmö, which opened in 2011.
Influence and Recognition
Gert Wingårdh is often seen as the most famous living Swedish architect. This is because of his skills, how he gets media attention, and the many awards he has won. He has also been part of discussions about architecture. For instance, he has supported building very tall skyscrapers.
In 1999, he received an honorary doctorate from Chalmers University of Technology. In 2005, he was given the Prince Eugen Medal. By 2007, Gert Wingårdh was also a professor at Chalmers, teaching building design. As of 2022, his company has about 170 employees.
Architectural Style and Approach
Gert Wingårdh began his career in the 1980s with a Postmodern style. This was a new way of designing buildings that moved away from the very strict Functionalist style. Functionalism had been popular in Scandinavia for a long time.
Unique Design Philosophy
He is known for quickly understanding new trends in architecture. He then uses them in his own unique way. His designs often blend the building with the nature around it. He has described his style as "high organic." This means he mixes high-tech ideas with natural, flowing shapes.
Some people describe his buildings as "maximalist" instead of "minimalist." This means his designs are often bold and expressive, almost like a modern version of baroque art. He has been influenced by famous architects like Frank Lloyd Wright and Frank Gehry. His buildings are sometimes called both "playful" and "strict" at the same time.
One interesting thing about Wingårdh's designs is how he surprises visitors. He might make the entrance of a building feel small. Then, when you step inside the main rooms, the space feels much bigger and more dramatic. He also pays great attention to small details. He understands how buildings work and how people use them.
Awards and Achievements
Gert Wingårdh has received many awards for his work.
- His Öijared Executive Country Club in Lerum won the Kasper Salin Prize in 1988.
- The Astra Zeneca R&D Site in Mölndal won the same prize in 1993.
- In 2002, he received the ECSN European Award for Excellence in Concrete. This was for the Arlanda air traffic control tower.
- Other award-winning buildings include the Universeum Science Centre in Gothenburg (2001).
- The auditorium and Student Union at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg (2001) also won the Kaspar Salin Prize.
- In 2006, the Aranäs Senior High School in Kungsbacka received this important prize too.
- He was awarded the Prince Eugen Medal for architecture in 2005.
- In 2006, Wingårdh was nominated for the Mies van der Rohe Award for Mimer's house in Kungälv.
- The House of Sweden in Washington, D.C., won the American Architecture Awards in 2007.
- The Washington embassy also received the Kasper Salin Prize in 2007. This was Wingårdh's fifth Kasper Salin Prize, which is a record among Swedish architects.
At the World Architecture Festival in Barcelona in 2008, Wingårdh won in the shopping category for the K:fem building in Vällingby, Stockholm. In 2012, his Victoria Tower in Stockholm won in the hotel category at the World Architecture Festival in Singapore. And in 2013, the Emporia shopping center in Hyllie near Malmö won in the shopping category at the same festival.
Images for kids
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Citadellbadet in Landskrona, Sweden
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Citadellbadet in Landskrona, Sweden
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Müritzeum visitors centre in Germany
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Müritzeum, facades of burnt wood
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The Piano pavilion in Lahti, Finland
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Headquarters for Gina Tricot in Borås, Sweden
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House 10 office block in Kista, Sweden
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Department store K:fem in Vällingby, Sweden
