The Most Famous
ARCHITECTS from Sweden
This page contains a list of the greatest Swedish Architects. The pantheon dataset contains 518 Architects, 7 of which were born in Sweden. This makes Sweden the birth place of the 20th most number of Architects behind Egypt, and Turkey.
Top 8
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Swedish Architects of all time. This list of famous Swedish Architects is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Gunnar Asplund (1885 - 1940)
With an HPI of 59.32, Gunnar Asplund is the most famous Swedish Architect. His biography has been translated into 30 different languages on wikipedia.
Erik Gunnar Asplund (22 September 1885 – 20 October 1940) was a Swedish architect, mostly known as a key representative of Nordic Classicism of the 1920s during the last decade of his life. At this time, he was a major proponent of the modernist style which made its breakthrough in Sweden at the Stockholm International Exhibition (1930). Asplund was professor of architecture at the Royal Institute of Technology from 1931. His appointment was marked by a lecture, later published under the title "Our architectonic concept of space." The Woodland Crematorium at Stockholm South Cemetery (1935-1940) is considered his finest work and one of the masterpieces of modern architecture.
2. Nicodemus Tessin the Younger (1654 - 1728)
With an HPI of 55.87, Nicodemus Tessin the Younger is the 2nd most famous Swedish Architect. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.
Count Nicodemus Tessin the Younger (23 May 1654 – 10 April 1728) was a Swedish Baroque architect, city planner, and administrator. The son of Nicodemus Tessin the Elder and the father of Carl Gustaf Tessin, Tessin the Younger was the middle generation of the brief Tessin dynasty, which has had a lasting influence on Swedish architecture and history. Several of his works, including the gardens of Drottningholm Palace, are among the most architecturally significant in Sweden.
3. William Chambers (1723 - 1796)
With an HPI of 52.14, William Chambers is the 3rd most famous Swedish Architect. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.
Sir William Chambers (23 February 1723 – 10 March 1796) was a Swedish-Scottish architect, based in London. Among his best-known works are Somerset House, and the pagoda at Kew. Chambers was a founder member of the Royal Academy.
4. Augustin Ehrensvärd (1710 - 1772)
With an HPI of 52.00, Augustin Ehrensvärd is the 4th most famous Swedish Architect. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Field Marshal count Augustin Ehrensvärd (25 September 1710 – 4 October 1772) was a Swedish military officer, military architect, artist, creator of the Suomenlinna (Sveaborg) fortress, Svartholm fortress and the Swedish archipelago fleet. He was born in Fullerö Castle, Barkarö and died in the village of Saris, Mynämäki. In 1747, he was chosen by king Frederick I of Sweden to design and construct a maritime fortress near Helsinki in Finland, then a part of the Kingdom of Sweden. Building the fortress of Sveaborg became a life's work for Ehrensvärd, who kept expanding the island fortress until his death in 1772. Ehrensvärd's design was a low-profile bastion-type fortress that would follow the natural contours of the islands and thus remain inconspicuous to enemy fleets. Many of the constructions in Sveaborg are considered to be architectural masterpieces. Augustin Ehrensvärd was also the commander of the Swedish archipelago fleet from 1756 to 1766, and from 1770, until his death in 1772. In addition to architecture, Ehrensvärd's interests included painting, educational psychology and botany. Upon his death in 1772, Ehrensvärd was promoted to the rank of field marshal. He was also well respected by the Finnish people, who appreciated his efforts in the construction of Sveaborg, an important cultural and economic centre in the eastern part of 18th-century Sweden, which later would become modern Finland. Ehrensvärd's burial monument in Sveaborg was designed by king Gustav III of Sweden himself. Ehrensvärd was elected a member of the member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1739, the year it was founded.
5. Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz (1716 - 1796)
With an HPI of 51.31, Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz is the 5th most famous Swedish Architect. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz (30 January 1716 – 1 March 1796) was a Swedish architect and civil servant. Adelcrantz's style developed from a rococo influenced by Carl Hårleman, the leading architect in Sweden in the early years of his career, to a classical idiom influenced by the stylistic developments in France in the mid-to-late 18th century. As överintendent, he headed the royal and public building works from 1767 until his retirement in 1795.
6. Ragnar Östberg (1866 - 1945)
With an HPI of 47.36, Ragnar Östberg is the 6th most famous Swedish Architect. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Ragnar Östberg (14 July 1866 – 5 February 1945) was a Swedish architect who is best known for designing Stockholm City Hall.
7. Sven Markelius (1889 - 1972)
With an HPI of 47.28, Sven Markelius is the 7th most famous Swedish Architect. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Sven Gottfrid Markelius (25 October 1889 – 24 February 1972) was a Swedish modernist architect. Markelius played an important role in the post-war urban planning of Stockholm, for example in the creation of the model suburbs of Vällingby (1950s) and Farsta (1960s).
8. Ferdinand Boberg (1860 - 1946)
With an HPI of 46.35, Ferdinand Boberg is the 8th most famous Swedish Architect. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Gustaf Ferdinand Boberg (11 April 1860 – 7 May 1946) was a Swedish architect.
People
Pantheon has 8 people classified as Swedish architects born between 1654 and 1889. Of these 8, none of them are still alive today. The most famous deceased Swedish architects include Gunnar Asplund, Nicodemus Tessin the Younger, and William Chambers. As of April 2024, 1 new Swedish architects have been added to Pantheon including Sven Markelius.
Deceased Swedish Architects
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Gunnar Asplund
1885 - 1940
HPI: 59.32
Nicodemus Tessin the Younger
1654 - 1728
HPI: 55.87
William Chambers
1723 - 1796
HPI: 52.14
Augustin Ehrensvärd
1710 - 1772
HPI: 52.00
Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz
1716 - 1796
HPI: 51.31
Ragnar Östberg
1866 - 1945
HPI: 47.36
Sven Markelius
1889 - 1972
HPI: 47.28
Ferdinand Boberg
1860 - 1946
HPI: 46.35
Newly Added Swedish Architects (2024)
Go to all RankingsOverlapping Lives
Which Architects were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 6 most globally memorable Architects since 1700.
