New parish in Söndrum

The new parish in Söndrum, Halland, is the result of an invited architectural competition organized by the Swedish Church in 2019. The competition entry “Bygatan” (the village street), by Sweco Architects, designed with the vision of creating a welcoming, inclusive, credible and functional place was rewarded first prize by the jury.

The scale of the proposed design relates to the surrounding built environment in a sensitive way, as well as to the existing building “Staffanssalen”, which is to be restored and used for gatherings and conferences. The lively village street is the center of the new building organization and constitutes the link between Staffanssalen and three new building volumes. As a visitor, you can move along the interior village street, and look into the different rooms placed alongside, and see what activities are going on. The vision is that the village street is to be a place where people meet, where you can sit down and read a book, look at an exhibition or have a cup of coffee in the café. The transparent entrance facades to the north and south give a welcoming feeling , and the linear skylights along the old stone façade of Staffansalen, let the daylight enhance its beauty.

The new building volumes along the village street contain various functions; spaces for children’s activities, kitchen and offices, as well as rooms for music an choir. All three parts have separate entrances from the outside, for a maximum of functional flexibility. The rooms for children’s activities are robust and spacious and have a direct connection to the outdoor spaces for play and gardening.

The exterior materials are wood, glass and stone, with detailing of forge raster at the entrances and certain windows. The wood-theme is also present in the building interior. 

By the southern entrance to the new parish, there is an entrance court with an outdoor café terrace as well as a large staircase suitable for sitting down and enjoying a sunny day, a concert, school events or having group picture taken.

The building was inaugurated in the spring of 2023.

ARCHITECTS TEAM 

Margareta Diedrichs, Petra Strömberg, Emma Anderberg, PeGe Hillinge, Emma Kaudern