Axel Ebbes Konsthall ‹ Liljewall Arkitekter – Göteborg, Stockholm & Malmö

Axel Ebbes Konsthall

Restoration and extension of art gallery / Trelleborg

Since its inauguration in 1935, Axel Ebbe's collected works have been in the art gallery and the project will manage the unique legacy of Axel Ebbe's artistry in the long term. Continuity, consideration and development are the watchwords now that the art gallery is to be expanded. Together with the art gallery, the extension creates good conditions for preserving a building of cultural and historical importance and being able to operate as a contemporary and modern cultural institution, in order to reach more visitors in Trelleborg. In January 2020, liljewall was commissioned to produce a sketch of an extension to Axel Ebbes Konsthall . In close collaboration with the business, client and antiquarian, we have landed on an extension that complements the art gallery, which was designed by architect Carl-Axel Stoltz, with a new annual ring. The extension, which comprises 678 square meters, adds new rooms that allow the business to develop in the long term and in the city, the building will frame a new entrance to the city park.

Year

2016 - 2022

Location

Hesekillegatan 1, 231 53 Trelleborg

Customer

Trelleborg Municipality

Contact

Jorgen Akerlund
0708-910 351
liljewall

The extension

The challenge in this project is to find the optimal flow for the location of the business’s functions and how the new building volume meets the surroundings and the art gallery in a respectful way. The extension uses as much of the site as possible and is located towards the city park. Axel Ebbes Konsthall has a clear functionalist design language, where two parallel building bodies show well-composed facades with clear hierarchies that in their simplicity give a heavy and stable expression, while the large glazed window strip on the western facade gives air and spaciousness to the interior. The building has expressive details and a brick facade with elements of natural stone. The extension mimics the art gallery’s design language with a high rectangular block that steps down along the lower parts of the art gallery, so that its outer contours are maintained and the new additions become legible. The ambition has been to create a building that opens up towards the public rooms in the street space and towards the city park. Where the extension connects to the art gallery’s western facade, the current brick exterior facade becomes an interior element and can be seen from the outside of the building.

The art gallery in the city

The extension will also contain the new main entrance to the entire art gallery and faces the city park, whereupon the original entrance becomes a jewel and part of a designed entrance park that connects to the city park. The extension makes the back of the art gallery its new front and a beautiful place to meet. The park thus becomes a natural part of the art gallery, which is reinforced by thinning out sight lines, a beautified park environment and newly created seating. A clearer connection to the park was a strong desire from the city of Trelleborg and is particularly significant as Axel Ebbe himself worked with the relationship between garden and sculpture. The inauguration of the new art gallery will take place in January 2024.