Tina Wik Architects
Tina Wik Architects was established in 1997. Previously Tina was a partner in Mattsson & Wik Architects where projects were often additions to public buildings in cultural historic environments. It was during this time Tina Wik developed her interest and knowledge of Swedish wooden architecture and construction techniques, as well as her specialization in architectural conservation. From the 1990s Mattson & Wik also worked on housing projects.
Tina Wik Architects has worked on both new constructions and conservation projects in Sweden and abroad.
New projects have often been in wood. Vistaberg is a larger small-scale housing area with more than 100 units, while Wälludden is a multi-storey housing area with buildings up to five storeys with wooden structures. The aim has, in many projects, been to develop wooden constructions which has resulted in the office often working with experimental projects . Wälludden was an experimental project with a multi-story wooden structure, kv Hytten in Malmö was built with a combination of a thin steel frame with a solid wood structure. In Nora Parish House the intermediate floor was built of solid wood – the first such use in Sweden.
New projects abroad, however, have been built of concrete. For the building of the Embassies of Finland and Sweden in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, taking account of the local climate with its strong sunlight was a key consideration. The building was placed to avoid direct sunlight and the heavy construction kept the buildings cool, keeping air conditioning requirements to a minimum.
The practice’s largest architectural conservation project in Sweden is the maintenance of Örebro castle. Works on this Wasa castle have been ongoing since 1992, with a break between 1998-2007, when Tina Wik was appointed architect in charge of the castle. Tina Wik Architects has also carried out a number of smaller conservation and re-building projects. Some concern smaller wooden buildings from different periods, others re-building for new functions, such as the transformation of a water purification station in Skara or a printing office into housing in Huddinge.
Tina Wik has long experience in post-disaster architectural conservation, gained during her work in Bosnia Herzegovina following the 1992–1995 war where she was project leader and responsible architect for the NGO Cultural Heritage without Borders (CHwB) between 2000 and 2007. Tina was also chosen to be one of the two international commissioners on the five-person Commission to Preserve National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina on which she served between 2002 and 2008. The Commission, created under the terms of the Dayton Peace Agreement, worked to protect the status of the cultural heritage in Bosnia-Herzegovina after the war, documenting and designating national monuments to international standards.
Tina Wik Architects aims to work towards Swedish national climate goals for 2050, as well as choosing and using climate-friendly materials and energy-efficient solutions in all its projects (see separate Climate Policy). Through Tina Wik’s post as Professor of Sustainable Architecture at Dalarna University, the office participates in cutting-edge research projects in this field.
