Hillevi Svedberg facts for kids
Hillevi Svedberg (1910–1990) was an important Swedish architect. She was one of the first women to become an architect in Sweden. Her designs were inspired by a style called Functionalism. This style focused on making buildings useful and practical. Hillevi is famous for adding showers and bathrooms to homes for working-class families. She also designed affordable apartment buildings with special centers for children. One of her most well-known buildings is the YK-House (1939) in Stockholm. She designed it with another architect, Albin Stark.
Early Life and Education
Hillevi Svedberg was born on December 20, 1910, in Uppsala, Sweden. Her father, Theodor Svedberg, was a Nobel Prize winner in chemistry. Her mother, Andrea Andreen, was a doctor. Hillevi also had a brother, Elias Svedberg, who became an interior designer.
She studied architecture at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. She graduated in 1933. At that time, very few women studied architecture in Sweden. Before 1921, architecture was only open to men. On June 29, 1933, Hillevi married Knut Robert Knutsson Almström, who was an engineer.
Designing Modern Homes
After graduating, Hillevi Svedberg started working for architect Carl Otto Hallström. Soon after, she opened her own architecture business. Her mother's interest in helping society and Hallström's work with public health inspired her. Hillevi began designing buildings like retirement homes, schools, and orphanages.
In 1933, she worked with another architect, Sven Markelius, on a new kind of building. This was a collective housing project on John Ericssonsgatan in Stockholm. It was Sweden's first building of its kind. It had 57 apartments, a restaurant, and a day care center for children.
The Famous YK-House
Hillevi Svedberg's most successful project was the YK-House. She designed it with Albin Stark. The Professional Women's Club asked them to build it. The YK-House was finished in 1939 in the Gärdet area of Stockholm. Albin Stark designed the outside of the building. Hillevi Svedberg was in charge of the inside.
She used her past experience to make the kitchens even bigger. She also made sure there was plenty of natural light. Like her earlier project, the YK-House also had a restaurant and a day care center. Hillevi Svedberg and her husband moved into one of the apartments. They lived there with their children. She became very involved in designing collective housing. She wrote articles and gave talks about her work.
Travel and Influence
In 1937, Hillevi Svedberg received a special scholarship. It allowed her to spend six months in the United States. While there, she met many famous people. These included Catherine Bauer, Eliel Saarinen, Carl Milles, Walter Gropius, and Frank Lloyd Wright. She even joined a team that planned housing projects for President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Hillevi Svedberg passed away in Stockholm on June 19, 1990.
