White Arkitekter celebrates 75 years! We would like to mark this anniversary together with you, by reflecting on our journey since 1951 and, at the same time, looking ahead.
White Arkitekter was founded in 1951 in Gothenburg, where our head office is still located today. The practice took shape through a competition for a new residential neighbourhood, Baronbackarna in Örebro, where the young architects Sidney White and Per-Axel Ekholm won with their proposal You May Play in Our Courtyard – a title reflecting the aspiration for quality of life and community in post war Sweden. What proved decisive was their empathy and their ability to understand the needs of young families. They approached the task with openness and humility, driven by a desire to continually explore what might lie around the next corner. Seventy-five years on, that perspective continues to shape how we work.
Architecture in Motion: Building a Future Together
For us, architecture is ultimately about people’s living conditions and about the kind of society we want to contribute to. Design, for us, is a powerful tool with the capacity to address real challenges. Baronbackarna became our first project and laid the foundation for the social commitment that has followed us ever since. From the outset, we have evolved in step with the times. Curiosity and a belief in architecture’s capacity to make a meaningful difference have characterised our work across the decades.
To build a history, you must remain in motion. You must hold a strong belief in the future. Our commissions have changed, as has the world around us, but our starting point remains the same: to create high-quality living environments within the limits of our planet and to contribute to a society we can stand behind. Together.
