The Rental Palace: A Building by Backström & Reinius and Krupinski/Krupinska

An architectural gem! The Backström & Reinius housing block, Tegelsslagaren 12, on Södermalm in Stockholm was carefully renovated by Krupinski/Krupinska. Here is the result.

About:
Since its completion in 1937, Tegelslagaren 12 has held a modest yet striking presence in Stockholm’s Södermalm district. This brick-and-teak ‘rental palace’ offers a unique take on functionalism, balancing whimsy with rationality, tradition with surprise. It also marks the beginning of the productive partnership between architects Sven Backström and Leif Reinius and the builder Olle Engkvist, a collaboration that would profoundly shape welfare-state housing and postwar architecture in Sweden as well as internationally.

Originally commissioned and still owned by the same family, Tegelslagaren 12 has recently undergone its first major renovation led by architects Krupinski/Krupinska. This book is a record of a remarkable building and its many makers, stewards and users: a testament to the enduring value of architectural craftsmanship, collaboration, and care.

Sven Backström and Leif Reinius met at the KTH School of Architecture and later trained at the Bauhaus and in Le Corbusier’s atelier. Founding their firm in 1936, they became one of Sweden’s most influential and prolific practices, often collaborating with the builder Olle Engkvist. Their playful functionalism, rooted in traditional craftsmanship and material richness, shaped landmark housing projects like Tegelslagaren 12 and Gröndal’s Stjärnhus, as well as commercial centres such as Farsta and Vällingby Centrum.

Konrad Krupinski and Katarina Krupinska met while studying architecture and trained at renowned international firms before establishing their own practice in 2016. Their acclaimed body of work spans various scales and programs, reflecting a penchant for adaptive reuse and renovation that pays equal attention to the pragmatic and the poetic.