Backström & Reinius
Backström & Reinius was a Swedish architecture firm in Stockholm that was known for its designs in residential buildings and central facilities. The office existed from 1936 to 1980.
history
The company's founders Sven Backström (1903–1992) and Leif Reinius (1907–1995) were fellow students during their training (1925–1929) at the Technical University in Stockholm. Backström then practiced with Le Corbusier in Paris 1932–1933 and Reinius with the architect Hakon Ahlberg . In 1936 they started the company "Backström & Reinius Arkitekter AB" in Stockholm.
plant
Housing construction in the 1940s was particularly important to Backström & Reinius. For the building contractor Olle Engkvist they designed the so-called star houses in the Stockholm suburb of Gröndal from 1944 to 1946 . These consist of three buildings that are arranged in a star shape around a central staircase. The star house can be freestanding as a point house , or linked to form chain houses , around courtyards and the like. In Gröndal they form a pattern of honeycombs and in the Rosta district in Örebro they are put together to form long chains. From the same period (1943–1945) comes a group of point houses on the Danviksklippan in Stockholm.
Backström & Reinius has also made a name for itself in the design of suburban centers and commercial buildings. For the municipal housing association Svenska Bostäder they designed Vällingby Centrum (1953–1955) and Farsta Centrum (1956–1960), both planned according to the principle of the ABC city, with A for Arbete (work), B for Bostad (apartment) and C. stood for Centrum, which was a novelty for Sweden. Backström & Reinius contributed to the redesign of Stockholm city with the department store for Åhlén & Holm (1964) and the fifth high-rise on Sergels torg (1965).
photos
Literature and source
- Svensk arkitektur 1640–1970, Byggförlaget Stockholm 1986
- Stockholms byggnader, Bokförlaget Prisma Stockholm 1977