Landtmann buildings

Do it again, do it right – Around the country with Renoveringsraseriet by authors Gustav Bergström and Alfred Skogberg.

Over the past decades, we have seen container after container filled with our common building heritage. Beautiful 1950s kitchens are worn out and replaced by mass-produced ones, mouth-blown window glass ends up in landfills, and cheap, unmaintainable materials replace old and solid ones.

Since its inception in 2020, Renovation Fury has criticized careless renovations on their popular Facebook and Instagram accounts of the same name.

In this book, we follow the founders, Gustav Bergström and Alfred Skogberg, on a journey to twelve Swedish cities; from Kiruna in the north to Sölvesborg in the south. They talk to architects, urban planners and experts and point out both good examples and pure disasters.

Do it again, do it right is both a portrait of the times and a cry for help. Caring and preserving is not just about nostalgia, it’s a must if we want to achieve our climate goals. It’s high time we started to see the value of craftsmanship and quality, and realize that new is not always better!

The Painting Workshop works on renovating old paintings, repainting using old techniques and developing new products inspired by the traditional painting of the Hälsingland farms. The Painting Workshop holds lectures and workshops on painting at the World Heritage Farms in Hälsingland.

Anna-Carin Åsbrink has been working with old painting techniques for over 40 years and shares here the many skills in stencil painting she has accumulated over the years.

The 24-page booklet describes stenciling on walls, borders and blinds. Includes tips on tools, techniques and color mixing of egg oil tempera. It also describes paintings from Hälsingland, which at the same time is universal for all stencil painting.

“Exterior Renovation” is the third book in the series – Building Maintenance in Practice.

All stages of an exterior renovation are described in detail. Roofs, chimneys, walls, windows, doors, foundations, extensions, lighting and more are covered, based on old Swedish building traditions. The traditional materials and craft methods are presented.

It also shows the ways to restore the exterior of an old house, but also appropriate solutions for how to raise the technical standard of a house, without doing violence to the cultural-historical value.

The book provides an illustrative picture of the standard and style development of kitchens and bathrooms in Sweden’s apartment buildings and detached houses. The design and equipment of kitchens and bathrooms follow the spirit of the times through the decades, both technically and functionally. At the same time, history bears clear traces of how the view of housework and life in the home has changed over time.

The story begins in the 1880s, when many cities are growing rapidly in the wake of industrialization. There is a housing shortage and economic conditions are tight. Homes are heated by tiled stoves or fireplaces, food is cooked on wood stoves and there are dry toilets in the yard. 120 years later, in 2000, when the story ends, high standards in kitchens and bathrooms are a matter of course. New trends follow one another and many kitchens and bathrooms are torn out and rebuilt, long before it is technically necessary.

Increased knowledge of period interiors is a valuable basis for conservation, renovation and remodeling. Inspiration can be drawn from the floor plans, kitchen layouts and furnishings of different periods.

Cecilia Björk architect SAR/MSA and Laila Reppen architect SAR/MSA are authors and illustrators of books such as Så byggdes husen 1880-2000, Så byggdes staden, Så byggdes villan and Tidstypiskt. Gustav Bergström, “Rävjägaren”, is a civil engineer as well as a writer and opinion leader in architecture and building conservation.

The book is nominated for Book of the Year 2020.