On April 4 1920, a competition was announced in the journal Arkitekten for the design of Stockholm Concert hall. At the time of the announcement, Ivar Tengbom together with two other architects, Torben Grut and Lallerstedt, had already received a special invitation from the Concert hall committee.

Ivar threw himself into his competition entry in partnership with his assistant Birger Jonson. He later highlighted Birger’s contribution and meant that ever since the first tentative sketches of the competition entry, he had provided ‘invaluable support during the planning and execution of the project’. Our partnership is crucial for the architecture that we create even today – which is why we are so very happy about this. That this is a tradition that goes all the way back to when Tengbom was founded.

The red heart

The competition entry ‘The red heart’ was based on the Greek and Roman theatre. The design of the great concert hall was a deciding factor in the competition and according to Ivar, it became the core from which the entire building was created around. When Ivar imagined the hall as a Roman courtyard, a peaceful festive area where the parquet is framed by stands with slender columns. Behind the podium – the room’s focal point – he saw a false perspective that implied a continuation towards the imagined Greek landscape. Above this, the white ceiling opened up like a sky from which the lighting would give the feeling of an eternal, mild sunshine.

”The hall itself wants to invite you into the atmosphere and peace, ’au-dessus de la mêlé’, that we, busy people are looking for”.

– Ivar Tengbom

Outside, there was a decorative row of columns as a portal between the outer and the inner room – a reflection of the great hall’s ancient character. For the rest, Ivar Tengbom distributed the program within a strictly coherent, cubic and undecorated concrete block. A contemporary approach which the curator of the National Museum at the time, Erik Wettergren, described at the opening ceremony later as ‘the new architecture’s hallmark’. In the proposal, Ivar Tengbom gave his Stockholm Concert hall an unusual blueish façade.

The description that accompanied our entry was written by hand and full of exciting, rhetorical expressions. In several places Ivar Tengbom talks directly to the jury to explain his thoughts. He appears to have had a sense of humour, our Ivar – when defending the columns on the exterior, he says: ”The judge is asking, columns, what are you doing?”. The press preferred the end quote which was often repeated with glee:

”And now, Mr Executioner, do your duty!”

A symbol for the future

The jury received thirty-four proposals. Initially, they awarded first prize to both The Red Heart and Erik Lallerstedt’s proposal, The Wings. After an intensive process and further development of the original idea, we finalized the planning and brought Ivar’s vision to life.

In retrospect, Stockholm’s Concert hall became a distillation of different currents in the Swedish architecture debate from the beginning of the 1900s.

The interest in town construction issues, the importance of a rational approach to the materials and construction, and the desire to once again unite the architecture and the liberal arts, all played a part in the end result. As a public building, the Concert Hall became a symbol of the cultural intentions of the Swedish society alongside the development of the modern civilization.

Stockholm Concert Hall full of invaluable art treasures

The Concert Hall holds many important works of art, both inside and outside the building. Carl Milles’ famous sculpture, the Orpheus Group, stands by the stairs to Hötorget. Inside, Isaac Grünewald’s incredible ceiling and wall paintings adorn the Grünewald Hall. Explore more about the art around the building on the Concert Hall’s website.

New generations take over

Over the years, we have continued to preserve Ivar’s legacy, ensuring that it lives on for future generations of visitors. In the early 1970s, Ivar’s son, Anders Tengbom, led a major renovation and expansion of the house. He rebuilt the wall behind the podium, which later made way for a magnificent concert hall organ. He also had the ceiling painted in a dark colour to accommodate new technology and acoustic aids, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of a Mediterranean night.

The restoration of the Concert Hall’s exterior brought back its bold original blue colour, once hidden by years of pollution. The local population once again admired its striking appearance.

Preserving historic buildings requires ongoing attention, especially to meet changing accessibility standards and integrate modern technology. In recent years, we have improved acoustics and installed new technical systems. We have also designed a new rehearsal hall, the Aulin Hall, which features flexible seating areas.