The new David Chipperfield-designed Nobel Centre would harm Stockholm waterfront, a cultural heritage site, the land and environment court rules, in a report from the Guardian.
The Guardian writes:
A Swedish court has blocked the construction of a major new Nobel Centre in Stockholm intended as the future venue for the world’s most prestigious arts and science awards. The 1.2bn krona (£100m) brass-clad structure, designed by the British architect David Chipperfield, would harm the capital’s picturesque waterfront, a cultural heritage site, the land and environmental court ruled on Tuesday.
The scale of the building ‘would affect the readability of Stockholm’s historical development as a port, shipping and trading city’, the court said, and cause ‘significant damage’ to the preservation of the old harbour site. The project has the backing of Sweden’s wealthy Wallenberg family and the Perssons, who control H&M. The proposed building has been designed to host exhibitions and seminars as well as the annual awards ceremonies, which are currently held in Stockholm’s concert hall.
But its numerous critics include residents’ groups, political parties, heritage organisations and even the normally reserved Carl XVI Gustaf, who told Dagens Nyheter newspaper two years ago that it would be gigantic and ‘too dominant’…
Ylva Lageson of Nobelhuset, the company charged with building and running the centre, said it was ‘disappointed with this verdict …’
… The Stockholm city councillor Jan Valeskog said the council would appeal against the ruling…
