OUR HISTORY

Tengbom is one of the world’s oldest architecture practices. Over a hundred years have passed since we first came into existence in 1906. But a lot of our history still remains to be experienced in the form of architecture.

1906 and Ivar Tengbom

Our story begins when Ivar Tengbom and Ernst Torulf founds the architecture practice Tengbom and Torulf. Their success is almost immediate when Ivar’s proposal wins second place in the competition for Stockholm’s new Town Hall (the winner is legendary Swedish architect Ragnar Östberg). But Tengbom quickly becomes a name to be reckoned with and the practice completes many prestigious projects such as Borås Town Hall (1909) and the Högalid Church (1911-23). After a few years, Torulf leaves the practice and Ivar’s solo career takes off.

By the the 1920s, Tengbom is one of the largest practices in Sweden with prestigious projects such as Stockholm Concert Hall already in its portfolio. After becoming known as as a representative of the national romantic movement, then as a 1920s classicist and a functionalist, Ivar eventually becomes a high-profile restoration architect and palace architect at the Stockholm and Drottningholm Palaces.

1950-2000

When Ivar Tengbom’s dies in 1968, leadership of the practice has already been assumed by his son Anders Tengbom, who has been working at the firm since the 1930s. Anders leads the company into its next phase with well-known buildings such as Andra Hötorgshuset (1960), Svenska Dagbladet HQ (1961), the Embassy in Moscow (1961) and the Trygg Hansa HQ (1976). In 1970, Ivar’s grandson Svante Tengbom takes over the business.

Over the following decace, Tengbom grows to around 60 architects, interior architects and modellers. Important buildings from the era include Canon’s HQ (1978), the reconstruction of Rosenbad (1981), Asea Stal (1987) and the City Terminal (1988).

Towards the end of the 1980s, Tengbom continues to expand with new offices in Malmö, Helsingborg and Gothenburg. Projects from this era include Länsförsäkringsbolagen (1990), Sagerska Huset (1990), Riga Business School (1995), Tyrén’s office building (1997), Hotel Skansen, Båstad (2001), Canon’s head office (2001), Sickla Quay and Hammarby Gård (2000-2006) and Dockan in Malmö (2005).

21st century

Over the course of the first two decades of this century, several practices join us in what is Tengbom’s most intensive expansion phase to date. We become several hundred colleagues spread across Sweden and eventually Finland. In our portfolio, you can browse through a selection of all of our projects throughout these years. Today, there are about 420 of us. Our fifteen offices stretch from the north to the south of Sweden and across the Baltic Sea to Helsinki.