Le Corbusiers Plan for the Urbanization of Stockholm

Johan Linton

The southern portion of Norrmalm, Nedre Norrmalm (Lower Norrmalm), has a central position in the architectural history of Stockholm1. This area, facing the isle of Helgeandsholmen and featuring Riksdagshuset (the Parliament building) and the Old Town district, where the Royal Palace is located, has on numerous occasions significantly affected the development of the capital of Sweden. The first real regulation of Nedre Norrmalm took place when a grid system was set up in the first half of the seventeenth century. These measures were prompted by a significant increase in population and also by the need for representative urbanism, a consequence of Swedens emergence as one of the great powers of Europe. Though several of these original street routes still remain, the area received its distinctive urban character only with the city blocks established in the nineteenth century. When Nicodemus Tessin the Younger addressed the task of building a new palace after the previous structure had been ravaged by fire in 1697, he realized the importance of creating a new and monumental urban environment in conjunction with the palace.2 A much later, but significant, change in the Norrmalm district evolved due to modern traffic conditions. In the late nineteen-twenties, the number of automobiles in central Stockholm increased dramatically and it became necessary to devise a more efficient city plan. Following a general plan proposal devised by Albert Lilienberg in 1928, the concept of a competition that would address the planning of the district was discussed. These discussions resulted in
1 2

The author thanks Ingrid Eng for her help with the translation into English.

Ragnar Josephson, Stadsbyggnadskonst i Stockholm intill r 1800 (Urban Planning in Stockholm prior to 1800), diss. Uppsala: Almqvist & Wiksell, 1918; Gran Lindahl Tessinarnas stad och bilarnas (The City Shaped by the Tessin Family and by the Automobile), Arkitektur 2 (1993), pp. 813.

Norrmalmstvlingen (the Norrmalm Competition), which was announced in April 1932. Contributions were to be submitted by March 1, 1933.3 Le Corbusier was interested and probably received details of the competition by way of a Swedish draughtsman who worked at his atelier, 35 rue de Svres in 1932, Rudolf Cronstedt (a member of the high nobility). In December, upon completing his trainee period and returning to Sweden, Cronstedt was asked by Le Corbusier to arrange a series of lectures in Stockholm, as early as January 1933. Cronstedt contacted the chairman of the Swedish Association of Architects, Hakon Ahlberg, who in turn arranged for an invitation to be tendered and who scheduled the lectures.4 Ever since the mid-twenties, after his work was presented in several articles by the architect and urban planner Uno hrn, Le Corbusier had been the subject of a great deal of interest in Sweden.5 Modernismor Functionalism, as it was known in Swedenhad become widely accepted in this country, and the concept was successfully manifested in projects such as the 1930 Stockholm Exhibition. The concept was also officially associated with projects dealing with the modernization of society and public housing.6 Le Corbusier arrived in Stockholm on January 26, 1933, and was to give two lectures during his stay in the Swedish capital. On the evening of January 28, when he gave a lecture at the

Gotthard Johansson, Norrmalmstvlingen (The Norrmalm Competition), published in Samfundet Sankt Eriks rsbok 1934 (The Yearbook for the Association of St. Erik 1934), ed. Gsta Selling (Stockholm, 1934), pp. 185212; Bosse Bergman & Anders Gullberg, I sknhetens, folklivets och framkomlighetens tjnst, Tage William-Olsson en srling i kampen om Stockholms framtid (In the Service of Beauty, Street Life, and Accessibility: Tage William-Olsson: An Individualist in the Fight for the Future of Stockholm), in Eva Rudberg, ed., Tage William-Olsson: stridbar planerare och visionr arkitekt.(Tage William-Olsson: Pugnacious Planner and Visionary Architect), (Stockholm, 2004), pp. 73175, 298302. 4 Corbusier med i tvlan om Norrmalms stadsplan, kommer hit fr studier p platsen (Corbusier Joins Norrmalm Competition, Comes Here to Study the Site), Svenska Dagbladet (January 26, 1933); Rudolf Cronstedt, Hgkomster av Le Corbusier (Recollections of Le Corbusier), Arkitektur 12 (1965), pp.117120; Rudolf Cronstedt, Le Corbusier i Stockholm den 26 - 31 januari 1933 (Le Corbusier in Stockholm, January 26 31, 1933) [stencil] (February 26, 1983), FLC E1-17-129, Fondation Le Corbusier (hereafter FLC).
3

Uno hrn, Brytningar (Ruptures), Svenska sljdfreningens rsbok (The Yearbook for the Association of Swedish Handicraft) (1925); Uno hrn, P vg mot en arkitektur (Toward an Architecture), Byggmstaren 11 (1926). 6 For a general survey of this period in Swedish architecture, see Claes Caldenby, ed., 20th-Century Architecture: Sweden (Munich, 1998).
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lecture hall at the Stockholm School of Economics, his theme was the architectural revolution (La rvolution architecturale), and two days later he spoke about the urbanization of cities (Lurbanisation des grandes villes) at the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.7 On January 31, he went on to Oslo and Gteborg to give lectures on modern architecture and urban planning there as well. He returned to Paris on February 3 and that very same day commenced work on an exhibit for Algiers. On February 13, he held a lecture in Zurich before traveling to Algiers at the end of the month to continue his work there. The time he had at his disposal to complete his entry for the Norrmalm Competition was thus very limited indeed.8 Even prior to Le Corbusiers visit to Stockholm, there was speculation as to his participation in the competition. While waiting for the train in Malm on his way to the capital, he was questioned by journalists, and on several occasions he told them he would probably not have enough time to prepare a proposal.9 Still, the efforts made to give lectures in Stockholm before the competition ended were in all probability due to Le Corbusiers desire to participate.10 The intention to apply his urban ideas to an important city in the Nordic countries was most likely not diminished by the remarkable amount of attention paid to him during his stay in Stockholm. The lectures were sold out and the press published a large number of articles commenting on his visit. Le Corbusier also mentions that numerous prominent figures expressed a flattering interest in his views on the future development of the

An account of the lectures was published by Viking Gransson in Tv fredrag av Le Corbusier (Two Lectures by Le Corbusier), Byggmstaren 5 (1933), pp. 2932. 8 Le Corbusier described his trip to Scandinavia and mentioned the work he had done for the competition in a letter to his mother. Le Corbusier to Marie Jeanneret, February 12, 1933, AFLC, R2(1), 183.
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Corbusier med i tvlan om Norrmalms stadsplan, Svenska Dagbladet, January 26, 1933; Arkitekten r ej blott estet, ven etiker. Le Corbusier utvecklar sitt program (Architects Must Heed Ethics As Well As Aesthetics, Le Corbusier develops his program), Svenska Dagbladet, Jan 27, 1933; byline: Kenneth, Perukstockarna skola ej f sista ordet! (Old Guard Will Not Have the Final Say), Nya Dagligt Allehanda, January 27, 1933. 10 Cronstedt states that Le Corbusier made the journey with the intention to participate. Corbusier med i tvlan om Norrmalms stadsplan, Svenska Dagbladet, January 26, 1933.
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city.11 In the course of his lecture tour, he met formative members of the local society such as architects Hakon Ahlberg, Erik Lallerstedt, Sven Markelius, Ivar Tengbom, and Tage William-Olsson; city engineer Albert Lilienberg; municipal commissioner Yngve Larsson; critic Gotthard Johansson; and Prince Eugen.12 He also met his niece Brita Rf and the painter Otto G. Carlsund, whom he knew from Parisreunions that most likely made his stay even more pleasant.13 Yet another motivating reason to participate might have been his appreciation of Stockholm and the citys natural environment, which seems to have made quite an impression on him. Le Corbusiers delight over the Stockholm scenery emerges in many of the newspaper articles and, according to one of them, his first words upon arriving at the Swedish capital involved praise of the colors of the sky.14 Later on, he repeated how he found the sky and the colors beautiful, that they were among the more beautiful sights he had ever seen. He also commented upon what he saw from a professional point of view, and praised the natural and topographical qualities of Stockholm. He explained that his most fundamental idea in urbanism was the green city, and that Stockholm offered the best conditions possible to realize that idea.15 At any rate, it is clear that Le Corbusier began his preparations for taking part in the competition during the time he spent in the Swedish capital. This can be seen in his travel sketchbook, where he elaborated on various different ways to deal with the specific conditions of Stockholm. In one sketch, he proposes a new city area on the water, and makes
Letter from Le Corbusier to Tage William-Olsson, January 15, 1934 (Arkiv William-Olsson). A Swedish translation of the two known letters from Le Corbusier to William-Olsson is found in Bergman & Gullberg, Tage William-Olsson en srling (Tage William-Olsson, An Individualist), 2004, pp. 129, 300. 12 As mentioned in the hereby referred sources. See also Le Corbusier som lrare I Olovslund. Staden runt med arkitekten igr. S rena fnster! (Le Corbusier as Teacher in Olovslund: Round the City with the Architect Yesterday; Such Clean Windows!), Dagens Nyheter, January 28, 1933.
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Interview with Kerstin Rf. Sept 3, 2001. Carlsund also wrote an interesting article about his meeting with Le Corbusier in Stockholm: Otto, G. Carlsund, Fra AngelicoLe Corbusier och 1933 (Fra AngelicoLC and 1933), Konstrevy 1 (1933). 14 Exemplified by his spontaneous enthusiasm for the color of the Scandinavian sky: Underbar frg p himlen, Corbusiers frsta ord i Stockholm (The sky is such a lovely color, Le Corbusiers first comment in Stockholm), Aftonbladet, January 27, 1933. 15 Skansen bst, tyckte Le Corbusier (Skansen Best, Said Le Corbusier), Dagens Nyheter, January 31, 1933.
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reference to an earlier project of his for Rio de Janeiro. In another sketch, he applies the huge building volumes of his Radiant City project to the citys topography and outlines a large water sport facility at the waterfront. There are also references to his important ongoing project in North Africa, as when he writes: Pilotis everywhere // courbes lika Algiers.16 Even if time was scarce, Le Corbusier elected to go ahead with the competition. Its most likely that he was assisted in this battle against the clock by Sven Backstrm, an accomplished young Swedish architect who worked in his office during the period extending from the autumn of 1932 to the spring of 1933.17 Le Corbusier undoubtedly also won some time by making a departure from the set program with regard to both content and competition area. To this end, he explained that the situation warranted taking the total picture into account and that his intention was to present a number of general ideas that would promote a modern urban landscape in Stockholm.18 Relating the Stockholm proposal to other Le Corbusier urban plans from the period, it seems likely that he would have chosen this course of action even if he had had more time at his disposal. Though the final proposal was in many ways schematic, it was also rather rich and detailed, when taking the very short timeframe into consideration. The remaining drawings for Stockholm are fairly fragmented. It is obvious that muchif maybe not allof the material presented in Stockholm is missing. One of the drawings that might have been on display in Stockholm, and that could be regarded as the main drawing, features the entire project with the indented buildings, adjusting to the topography and creating a central public space in the Lower Norrmalm area that opens up on the waterfront,

Translation from the French Pilotis partout // courbes faon Alger. See Carnet C10, pp. 83-89, in Le Corbusier, Sketchbooks, vol. 1: 19141948, ed. Franoise de Franclieu (London, 1981), ills. 65256.
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Cronstedt, Hgkomster av Le Corbusier (Recollections of Le Corbusier), (1965). Backstrm would a few years later, in 1936, join with Leif Reinius to form the officeBackstrm & Reiniusthat in the nineteenforties created the famous star-houses. 18 Le Corbusier to Tage William-Olsson, 1933 (no date), William-Olsson Archive. For Le Corbusiers description of the Stockholm plan, see Le Corbusier, La Ville radieuse: lments dune doctrine durbanisme pour lquipement de la civilisation machiniste (Boulogne, 1935), pp. 297303.
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the Royal Palace, the isle of Stadsholmen, and Slussen.19 Le Corbusier focused mainly on the topographical qualities of Stockholm and its waterfront, and declared that he wanted to create housing that provided a view of the water and the surrounding landscape.20 Just like in the Obus plan for Algiers of 1932, the waterfront would be exposed and the long and narrow volumes of buildings would crown the heights surrounding the city. In the Stockholm plan, however, Le Corbusier emphasized the importance of integrating the city with its aquatic environment. He pictured parks that stretched down to the waterfront, boulevards along the coast, and centers for water sports. In the Stockholm project, he also stressed the fact that housing issues should have a higher priority than traffic issues. As in the plan projected for Antwerp, railway terminals and track areas would be relocated outside the city limits and stations would be merely buildings to accommodate passengers embarking and disembarking.21 In the collection of representative drawings, there is also a graphically stylized projection of the redans along with estimates of the occupancy rate.22 Yet another vital contribution to the plan is the drawing featuring continuous views of how the new structures face the water in a manner that harmonizes with the monumental buildings of the city.23 In the Stockholm plan, Le Corbusier developed his vision of modern urban planning as a sculptural design of the location, one that enhanced the existing landscape by way of architecture. He also emphasized that Stockholm was not a suitable site for skyscrapers, that it was preferable to maintain the rolling silhouette of the landscape. As an historical reference for this type of architecture, he mentioned the Vatican, particularly as seen from Castel SantAngelo.24

FLC 13302. This drawing is the only one kept at the Fondation Le Corbusier that appears in La Ville radieuse, p. 207. 20 The following descriptions of Le Corbusiers ideas are mainly from La Ville radieuse (1935), pp. 297303.
19 21 22 23 24

Suggestions on sketch FLC 13304. Translation of redents from the original French; FLC 13295. FLC 13297A, FLC 13297B. La Ville radieuse (1935), p. 298.

Another important drawing is the study of the citys central public spaces, a concept defined by Le Corbusier as a type of (antique) forum.25 He pictured a long, wide esplanade or boulevard extending from Norrmalm to Slussen. No high-speed traffic or heavy vehicles would be allowed to use this route that would feature public buildings, offices, and shops. In the Stockholm project, he particularly emphasized the importance of integrating small-scale trade, industry, and service businesses into the city, bringing them closer to areas where people live and to public spaces. The sketch-like drawing shows the area where the buildings meet the waterfront and contains a detailed description of the different roads and streets, and their interaction with the buildings.26 It is also clear that Le Corbusier envisioned a gradual realization of the Stockholm plan. This is shown in the drawings and is mentioned in his book La Ville radieuse. The three drawings illustrating three consecutive stages in the development of the project are not completely transparent with regard to how this was meant to take place, but it is obvious that the different phases involved a step-by-step construction of the immense new buildings.27 The most thorough presentation of the Stockholm project is to be found two years later in La Ville radieuse, his most comprehensive publication on urban design. Le Corbusier dedicates eight rather closely written pages to the Swedish project. That makes the Stockholm proposal one of the most salient plans in the book.28 Among other features, the description contains reproductions of thirteen watercolor explanatory sketches illustrating the basic concepts of the proposal in a more detailed manner. These sketchesunfortunately lostattracted acclaim at the presentation in Stockholm, though some of them were covered up at the actual
25 26

FLC 13303.

This drawing seems to have been the preliminary version for the similar, but more elaborate, drawing published in La ville radieuse, p 296. 27 FLC 13298, FLC 13299 and FLC 13300. Le Corbusier, La Ville radieuse, pp. 297303. This part of the book is translated into Swedish in the catalogue for the Centennial Exhibition on Le Corbusier in Stockholm, a publication that treats LCs relationship to Stockholm in other articles as well. The description of the Stockholm project remains one of relatively few texts of Le Corbusier translated into Swedish to this date. Karin Winter, ed., Le Corbusier och Stockholm (Stockholm, 1987).
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exhibit, evidently because they were thought to give away the identity of the author.29 This annoyed Le Corbusier, and he was to remember it for a long time. As was the case with his Plan Voisin for Paris, Le Corbusier was criticized in Sweden for proposing that important parts of Stockholm be torn down, such as in the Old Town district built in the Middle Ages on the isle of Stadsholmen. In his presentation of his Stockholm Proposal, Le Corbusier did, however, express his views on preservation, pointing out that the historical features of a city should be preserved, evaluated, and accentuated. With regard to the isle of Stadsholmen, he expressed himself in positive terms on several occasions and wrote that he would like to preserve its unique qualities. He suggested that the district be separated from all thoroughfares, which then would be directed to pass by the district on elevated tracks or by way of tunnels. At the same time, he wrote that only sites of true historical value should remain and that central Stockholm should be carefully and gradually cleaned up.30 In relation to the Stockholm proposal, he also repeated what he had declared previously: that cities have always been subject to change and remodeling through the ages. More than in many other projects, he also emphasized that the plan was intended as a declaration of principle and that specific decisions would have to be made by individuals who had a more in-depth knowledge of the particulars of Stockholm. At the same time, it is clear that his proposalshould it have been taken into considerationwould require restructuring the existing city in a dramatic manner. The international competition dealing with the Lower Norrmalm district was a huge success, generating 450 proposals from 30 different countriesthe largest competition of its kind in Swedish history. This complicated the assessment process and the final decision of the committee was not made public until December 20, 1933. Le Corbusier was aware from the
Gotthard Johansson, Le Corbusiers Stockholmsdrm, Funktionalismens fader deltagare i Norrmalmstvlan (Le Corbusiers dream vision of Stockholm; The father of functionalism takes part in the Norrmalm Competition), Svenska Dagbladet, December 23, 1933. 30 [. . .] [N]ettoy, pur petit petit. Le Corbusier, La Ville Radieuse (1935), p. 301.
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start that his proposal departed far too much from the program to be considered. This is evident in his correspondence with the previously mentioned William-Olsson, the architect behind the radical and traffic-oriented solution for the important area, Slussen, in central Stockholm, an intervention that made an impression on Le Corbusier. The Le Corbusier Archive possesses two drawings of the Slussen project most likely sent by William-Olsson, possibly in response to a direct request by him.31 In any case, Le Corbusier wrote to WilliamOlsson from Algiers a couple of weeks after his trip to Stockholm to say that the time was too short for him to undertake a detailed study of the program, but that his proposal could possibly be of use nevertheless. A year later, when the competition was concluded, he wrote again to William-Olsson. This letter also makes it clear that even if Le Corbusiers proposal wasnt taken into consideration for the competition, he still hoped for the opportunity to be entrusted with the renewal of the urban layout of Stockholm. In fact, the Stockholm project was conceived at a time when Le Corbusier could be considered to be at the peak of his direct influence on contemporary urbanism. In the summer following his visit to Scandinavia, he would be the leading figure at the CIAM meeting in Athens. Another expression of the worldwide interest for his ideas could be seen in his introductory texts for the special issue of LArchitecture daujourdhui published the same year. It is noteworthy that the presentation speech given by Hakon Ahlberg when Le Corbusier lectured in Stockholm is included. It is difficult to imagine higher praise from one contemporary architect to another. Ahlberg describes Le Corbusier as the foremost figure in contemporary architecture and expresses the opinion that this will also be true to future generations.32 When one reads Ahlbergs words, it seems Le Corbusier was not exaggerating when he wrote to his mother that in the Scandinavian countries it was before and after Le

The drawings show one of the many versions produced for the large-scale project at Slussen (193135), a project that was underway at the time of Le Corbusiers visit to Stockholm. 32 Hakon Ahlberg, Sude, lArchitecture daujourdhui 10 (1933).
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Corbusier.33 It is consequently also notable that when the extensive book on the theory behind the plans for Stockholm, Algiers, Antwerp, Barcelona, and other cities was finally published two years later, it was given far less of a response and the reactions in Sweden were negligible. It was then Le Corbusier, rather than the Swedes, who insisted on his importance. In 1936, he contacted his former hosts Hakon Ahlberg and Ivar Tengbom and proposed that his book La ville radieuse deserved to be considered for the Nobel Peace Prize.34 This idea, however, doesnt seem to have generated much enthusiasm. The only prominent figure who appears to have insisted on the importance of the Stockholm plan was the leading architectural critic Gotthard Johansson. Directly after the competition was concluded, he urged city officials to purchase Le Corbusiers proposal, an idea that pleased the Swiss-French architect. This was suggested again nearly a decade later, but at that point in time, Le Corbusier himself rejected the offer. The French-Swiss architect, then trying to make his way in Vichy, could not quite forgive the covered-up watercolor sketches at the competition, a memory that did not exactly induce him to be generous, and he wanted more money than the proposed SEK 750.35 Still, Le Corbusier, in a gesture of appreciation for Johansson, sent him a copy of the plan for his personal archives. This document, which seems now to be regrettably lost, appears as a reproduction on the back of the catalogue for the 1958 Le Corbusier show at Moderna museet in Stockholm, part of the touring exhibition Dix capitales.36 The Norrmalm Competition provided Le Corbusier with the opportunity to apply the principles for the Ville radieuse on an urban area that suited one of its most vital concepts:
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Le Corbusier to Marie Jeanneret, Feb. 12, 1933, AFLC, R2 (1), 183. Le Corbusier to Ivar Tengbom, May 15, 1936; AFLC, R3 (05), 66.

Gotthard Johansson, Le Corbusiers Stockholmsdrm (Le Corbusiers Dream Vision of Stockholm), Svenska Dagbladet, December 23, 1933; Gotthard Johansson, Le Corbusiers utopi kpes av staden? (Le Corbusiers Utopia: Will Stockholm Acquire It?), Svenska Dagbladet, April 13, 1942; Staden betalar 750 kr fr Corbusiers plan (City Pays SEK 750 for Corbusiers Plan), Svenska Dagbladet, April 24, 1942. 36 Le Corbusier, Arkitektur, mlningar, skulpturer gobelnger, teckningar (Architecture, Paintings, Sculptures, Tapestries, Drawings), (Stockholm, 1958).

making topography and nature present within the city. In this way, his plan for Stockholm is a significant application of his ideas on urbanism, and there are several references to it in his writings. Moreover, the Norrmalm Competition was one of the relatively few architectural competitions the famed architect ever took part in. Le Corbusiers project is to remain the only city plan he made for the Scandinavian countries, andas pointed out by Gotthard Johansson as early as in 1933a rare vision of the city of Stockholm by one of the greatest figures in the history of architecture.