a new cultural space for the stockholm waterfront
The updated design for the Nobel Center by David Chipperfield Architects has been revealed for a coastal site in Stockholm, where Lake Mälaren meets the Baltic Sea.
The Nobel Center, set to become an open civic institution, will be built along the waterfront between the neighborhoods Södermalm and the Old Town. It will introduce a place for exhibitions, lectures, workshops, and cultural gatherings, with an emphasis on public access.
The building forms part of a continuous public route along the water, linking destinations such as Fotografiska and the Stadsmuseet. A generous ground floor extends public space, with entrances to the north and south and a foyer that accommodates a shop and restaurant. The transition from city to interior naturally invites passersby inside as part of daily movement through the area.
view from the water along the quay | visualization © Onirism/Nobel Prize Outreach
David Chipperfield Architects’ updated design
David Chipperfield Architects‘ Nobel Center in Stockholm is composed of interlocking volumes that follow the slope of Södermalm. Their proportions draw cues from the merchant townhouses of the 17th-century Old Town across the water, allowing the Nobel Center to engage with the historic waterfront while reading as a unified structure. A new terrace along the front reinforces the relationship between building and promenade, creating space for pause along the route.
Inside, daylight shapes the spatial sequence. Carefully placed openings frame views toward the city and archipelago, offering moments of orientation and rest within the visitor’s path. Upper levels feature large north-facing windows that reveal activity within, giving the city a clear sense of life inside the building.
upper level with framed views towards the archipelago and the city | visualization © Onirism/Nobel Prize Outreach
a center dedicated to the values of the Nobel Prize
The structural system relies primarily on timber, adapted to site conditions to reduce embodied carbon, while a facade of reclaimed red brick connects the project to Stockholm’s architectural lineage. The material carries associations with civic buildings such as City Hall, lending weight and longevity to a center dedicated to the values of the Nobel Prize.
The updated proposal arrives after a long public journey. Our earlier coverage followed the project from its shortlisting in 2013, through the competition win in 2014, to approval in 2016, tracing shifts in scale, orientation, and public ambition. This latest design demonstrates a renewed confidence in the Nobel Center as a civic space which will bring to Stockholm a place for knowledge that feels at once contemporary and enduring.
panoramic view from the north | visualization © Onirism/Nobel Prize Outreach
project info:
name: Nobel Center
architect: David Chipperfield Architects | @davidchipperfieldarchitects
location: Södermalm, Stockholm, Sweden
previous coverage: December 2013, April 2014, May 2016
visualizations: © Onirism | @onirismsrl, courtesy Nobel Prize Outreach
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