Varberg’s coastline along the Kattegat consists of several old landmarks. Most prominent, of course, is the fortress, dating from the 13th century. But there’s also one of the west coast’s few preserved cold-water bathing houses, as well as the nature reserve on Getterön, which offers some of Europe’s best conditions for birdwatching.
In summer 2025, a potential new landmark took its place: Varberg’s new station building, almost entirely built in timber, with distinct robust granite elements.
Obvious to work with timber
The building has obvious connections to the sea outside. Mainly thanks to the pagoda-like roof, whose projecting corners give a soft movement and a character that evokes the coastal town’s wind and the beach and bathing house towels.
Okidoki’s aim was to create a station that reflected Varberg’s history and character. Varberg granite is Halland’s provincial stone, and the town’s export harbour is Sweden’s largest for sawn timber.
“We always work contextually. We want the building to speak to the place – for it to be clear why the building is here and nowhere else. For the railway station in Varberg, it was precisely the combination of stone and timber that reflected the local building tradition, and by using these materials we created a building that feels contemporary whilst being anchored in its history,” says Rickard Stark, lead architect.
Varberg Station is built with a frame of glulam and crosslaminated timber, with both horizontal and vertical load-bearing elements. The choice of timber wasn’t just symbolic but also practical. Mainly because the station was built above the new railway tunnel – a three-kilometre-long double-track railway tunnel that runs under Varberg, opened at the same time as the station.
“The tunnel was already fully designed when we made our submission. Really, we only had two fixed positions for the escalators to relate to, plus we couldn’t load too much onto the roof. But it was certainly good if we could keep the loads down in certain places. So it was quite obvious to work with timber,” says Rickard Stark.
Showing the material both internally and externally
Internally, Varberg Station is open and welcoming. Load-bearing elements like columns and floor slabs have been left exposed, making timber play a central role.
“Varberg has a long tradition of building in timber, so it was a given that we wanted to show the material, both externally and internally. The frame is visible on the outside, and inside the load-bearing timber columns are designed with decorative capitals. Maria Nyström at Zenisk has designed a unique light fitting for Atelje Lyktan that helps make the column appear as a classical colonnade,” says Rickard Stark.
Rickard Stark and his team have also used art as an integrated layer to reinforce the station’s expression. One example is Finnish artist Juri Markkula’s work Windy, which adorns the station’s windows.
He too borrows the formal language from the cold-water bathing houses, with timber sculptures that change form from pane to pane, as if the wind has rearranged their structure.
“We often work together with artists in our projects, so that you don’t just slap on an artwork afterwards. When art gets to be part of the architecture, and not just a decorative element, it becomes so much better,” says Rickard Stark.
From the first proposal to the final solution
Varberg Station could have looked completely different. The building standing on the site today is, in fact, a compromise. Okidoki’s first proposal, which Rickard Stark describes as a “big beautiful cake” over three storeys, had to be scrapped partway through the project.
When the client Jernhusen realised they might not manage to rent out all the floors, Okidoki had to shrink the building, which became a challenge both emotionally and in terms of inspiration.
“It was a fantastic design, with sea views from the third floor. When you’re so attached to an idea you thought was so strong, it’s hard to start from scratch. I had a very soft spot for the first proposal, I won’t hide that. But we managed to find energy and create something else, and I’m very proud of that.”
Questioned box-like design
Okidoki’s approach to architecture goes against the grain of prevailing modernist aesthetics. Rickard Stark has consequently questioned the box-like design in David Chipperfield’s proposal for Stockholm’s upcoming Nobel Centre.
“It doesn’t look that good in its environment, I think. Are they trying to provoke? Why do they so badly want to highlight the stylistic clash with the old? I really can’t understand that way of working,” he says.
According to Rickard Stark there’s a sharp ideological disagreement amongst today’s architects. Simply put, on one side are those who start from the place and work contextually, and on the other those who want to make their mark by breaking with what exists.
He argues that in Sweden during the 20th century we went hand in hand with a construction industry driven by efficiency. The ideological compass has pointed towards straight, bright and fresh, preferably realised with mass-produced, simple and rational solutions.
“This has become like an ideology; as long as we do it this way, we’re doing right. The approach to history has been to do the opposite, to show the difference between new and old. As long as it breaks away, it’s good,” says Rickard Stark, continuing:
“But nine times out of ten it’s bad. To commit a stylistic break, you have to be so incredibly skilled, and very few are. It’s much better to work with the place’s existing design and historical context. But those on the other side probably think our contextual approach is rubbish,” says Rickard Stark.
Strong conviction about building in timber
He argues that Okidoki’s view of architecture, and ambition with aesthetic expression, is about offering a richness of experience. He draws parallels to historical architecture, when it was still crafted by hand. Okidoki’s contextual architecture thus becomes a resistance to the modern; a way of building structures that not only withstand the test of time but also actively contribute to sustainable and adaptive urban development in a changing context.
“When the construction and property industry strives for reduction, we do the opposite. The result is often more generous, and we find that more and more people appreciate the way we work. For us, it’s as much an ideological stance as a natural way of creating something we actually like ourselves.”
Rickard Stark has a strong architectural conviction about building in timber. And Okidoki has long experience of working with the material, which he says goes hand in hand with an ideological compass around sustainability within the architectural profession.
“Timber isn’t just an environmentally friendly alternative – it’s also a material that has the ability to create a strong emotional connection between people and buildings. And I think we’ve succeeded with that at Varberg Station,” says Rickard Stark
Text: Mattias Boström Photo: Åke E-son Lindman, Jakob Bohman
