Architects protest planned demolition of Sweden's Valhallabadet pool

The planned demolition of an Olympic medal-winning swimming pool in Gothenburg, Sweden, would be a "waste of history," say protestors.

Valhallabadet, which was designed by architect Nils Olsson in 1948 and opened to the public in 1956, is set to be demolished as part of a wider project to create new central sports facilities in the city.

According to the city, Valhallabadet, which is used by half a million swimmers each year, is dated and in need of extensive renovations.

Valhallabadet was named one of the seven most endangered sites in Europe by cultural heritage organisation Europa Nostra in March of this year, with local architects, writers and conservation groups stating that its demolition would be a serious loss to the community.

"Valhallabadet is a remarkable building, a testament to the care, ambitions and high standards that the Swedish welfare state had for its public buildings in the 50s and the following decades," journalist Veronica Hejdelind, author of The Swimming Pool at a Crossroads, told Dezeen.

"It is a municipal pool, but its unique and well-preserved architecture is a national or even international concern. It is also a much-loved and highly appreciated public building. A diverse community of all ages and walks of life meet here regularly."

The pool was awarded a bronze medal in architecture at the London Olympics in 1948 and features a 700-square-metre mosaic by artist Nils Wedel.

Also protesting its demolition is Gothenburg conservation group Föreningen Fasad, which is asking people to sign a petition to save the pool and is raising money to produce a documentary about it.

"Valhalla is not only a building of great and well-known architectural and historical values (the architect being awarded an Olympic medal in 1948 for his drawings), but also of big importance as a common social meeting place for generations of Gothenburg's residents, of whom many have been going there since it opened in 1956," Föreningen Fasad co-founder Filip Laurits told Dezeen.

The organisation applied to the local government, Länsstyrelsen Västra Götaland, to have Valhallbadet listed, which would have protected it against changes.

However, this was turned down as the decision to demolish the building had already been taken.

"A declaration of a listed building requires that there are conditions for conservation and long-term administration," Länsstyrelsen Västra Götaland said.

"Against the background of the municipal council's decision to construct an arena on the site of Valhallabadet, which entails demolishing the building, Länsstyrelsen assesses that the conditions to declare Valhallabadet listed are missing."

The redevelopment plans for the Valhallabadet swimming pool will also see the demolition of the Valhalla sports hall, which will be replaced with four new sports halls.

Additional public and commercial spaces will be included as part of the redevelopment, which was determined in 2023 and last approved by the council's municipal board in February of this year.

The new pool and sports halls are planned to be complete by 2031.

Föreningen Fasad argues that there could be other solutions for creating new pools and arenas in the area that would not involve demolishing Valhallabadet.

"There are several alternative solutions, for instance, one ambitious plan by Krook & Tjäder," Laurits said.

"However, the best solution is to build the new arena and bath somewhere else, where the demand, not least for more swimming opportunities, are bigger."

Architect Tinna Harling, who is a Valhallabadet user, also points to the Krook & Tjäder design as an alternative to the city's decision to create an "obsolete" new arena.

"I think that is a very strange decision and that it feels like a strong lobbyism has been behind it," she told Dezeen.

"In 2025, those huge projects are totally obsolete and due to the economic and ecological crisis, I think it will be very hard to even carry it out," she said of the project that will replace the existing pool.

Photographer Jonathan Hökklo, whose photographs illustrate this article, believes that demolishing Valhallabadet would also lead to the loss of a cultural hub.

"The natural light and the architecture are just so unreal in there – it's so beautiful and well preserved, and the clientele is also so mixed," he told Dezeen. "It's really a cultural hub that unites the city, and connects the past with the present."

"Demolishing the pool is a waste of history, a loss of an important meeting place for the community, loss of public health," Hejdelind agreed.

"It is bewildering to me and many others that the City of Gothenburg doesn't seem to appreciate the values it creates for the city and its citizens."

Other recent demolition decisions that have led to protest include the planned razing of the first Stirling Prize-winner, the University of Salford's Centenary Building and architect Bertrand Goldberg's cylindrical building in Illinois, which is at risk of demolition.

The City of Gothenburg did not provide a comment.

The photography is by Jonathan Hökklo.

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