Bergius Botanic Garden

A plant museum. That’s one way to describe Stockholm’s Bergius Botanic Garden, where Katarina Enekvist at Tengbom is in-house architect on behalf of the National Property Board of Sweden. Here, you can visit the giant Victoria water lily, learn about everything from Nordic to tropical plants, or simply give your eyes a momentary break from the asphalt.

Science, botany and relaxation. The beautiful scenery of Bergius Botanic Garden is located near Brunnsviken beach in Stockholm. Visitors can discover plants from around the world: fruit and berry orchards, as well as plant taxonomy areas that show how the plants are related.

In-house architect who puts valuable environments to use

Katarina Enekvist, Restoration Architect at Tengbom, has been an in-house architect for Bergius Botanic Garden since 2019. She has many years of experience leading complex assignments in environments of cultural-historic value. As an in-house architect, it is not enough simply to be skilled in design, or to have knowledge of cultural history. It is also important to balance the historic environment with today’s demands.

It’s an incredibly exciting challenge to get to know the garden and to be immersed in the needs and possibilities of a listed building.

Katarina Enekvist.

Preserve and improve with subtlety

The assignment of in-house architect entails long-term responsibility. And a great deal has already happened since 2019. The old Utsiktstornet lookout tower has been developed to bring the authentic nineteenth-century environment to life. At Victoria House, the construction has been reviewed and maintenance has been carried out on the glass. The garden director’s overgrown garden by the Bleket building will be restored. Difficult-to-access areas of the garden have been made accessible through new, specially made iron railings and a restoration of the stairs and walkways. A project plan has been created for Naturens Hus in Finnstugan, an educational space for schools and kids. Bergius Botanic Garden’s various entryways will be clarified with a new design and sketches are in the works.

Maintenance of the grounds and wooden buildings

In addition, working in collaboration with tradespeople and painting conservators, Katarina Enekvist has carried out antiquarian reviews and consultation on the restoration and maintenance of all wooden buildings at Bergius Botanic Garden. An important knowledge base has been developed including a care program for the grounds and buildings.

“The garden should be a place for everyone, with a connection to both the past and the present. I look forward to continuing to contribute to developing this place,” says Katarina Enekvist.