Knock on wood – This is Wisdome Stockholm
Publish date: 15 November 2023
Wisdome, The National Museum of Science and Technology's new annex, aims to challenge visitors and Swedish architecture. The new wing opened in December 2023 as a state-of-the-art 360° dome cinema built primarily out of wood. "We wanted to create a new point of reference for architecture", says museum director Peter Skogh. "And in my opinion, we've succeded. It's one of the most advanced wooden buildings in the world."
It's the second week of December 2023, and a thick blanket of snow lies over the National Museum of Science and Technology in Stockholm. This particular Friday morning is somewhat warmer than the days before. The thawing snow is dripping from trees, creating small pools of ice-cold slush. Still, it's not melting nearly fast enough to reveal the new building tucked away in the museum's inner courtyard.
Located here, under a snow-covered arched roof, is Wisdome; the museum's new dome cinema with a spherical auditorium, a café, and an events area. On a day like this though, with the roof shingles covered by one foot of snow, it looks more like an epic sledding slope.
"It's a very discrete bump", muses museum director Peter Skogh. "Like someone lying on their back, their belly sticking out."
Inside, however, Wisdome's unique features are on full display. The building – one of five Wisdome 3D visualization cinemas in Sweden – is made mainly out of wood. The floor, ceiling, furniture, pillars, beams, and central dome are all made of CLT and/or LVL boards of varying thickness; cross-laminated timber, and laminated veneer lumber made from Swedish and Finnish spruce.
"I think it will help us to get other kinds of tourists, the kind that our neighboring capitals already have", continues Peter Skogh. "We wanted to create a new point of reference for architecture and in my opinion, we've succeded. It's one of the most advanced wooden buildings in the world. Wisdome brings something new and fresh to Stockholm's architecture, and I believe more will follow. Already, there are several exciting projects in the works."
Form and function
Peter Skogh explains that relying on wood as the main building material was a part of the equation and an ambition to challenge wood construction in Sweden. Stockholm-based architect firm Elding Oscarso designed Wisdome's shape and form, after winning the bid through an architectural competition. The building's technical specifications and engineering feats are a joint effort between Swiss wood construction experts Blumer Lehmann and Norwegian design engineer Florian Kosche. Finnish-Swedish company Stora Enso has supplied the lumber.
However, The National Museum of Science and Technology's surroundings present a unique challenge for any new construction. Located in the middle of a National City Park on Djurgården, it has a sensitive ecosystem of flora and fauna just a stone's throw away, meaning strict codes for what and how you're allowed to build.
"These are important factors to keep in mind, and they forced us to carefully consider our surroundings", the museum director explains. "You'll find one of Sweden's oldest buildings, at Skansen just a short walk from here. If we can point to our long tradition of using wood in construction by adding something contemporary, I would consider it a success."
Skogh describes this challenge, combined with the fact that Wisdome has a clear function to fill, as inherently Swedish. Sure, the bar is set high for the newly minted attraction to become a new architectural benchmark. It might even become a popular hang-out spot during sunny spring- or summer afternoons. But at the end of the day, Wisdome is just a part of a larger museum, with daily activities, exhibitions, and events.
100 years of Science and Technology
Even though it opened in late December 2023, the opening of Wisdome is considered the start of The National Museum of Science and Technology's anniversary year. In 2024, the museum will celebrate its 100th-year jubilee with a new retrospective exhibition, and more offshoots around Stockholm. April sees the opening of The Cell in Hagastaden, in collaboration with The Karolinska Institute. The goal is to transform The Cell into a melting pot for science and art, with a special focus on life science.
"You might say that we use art, to explain life", Peter Skogh says. "Subject matters that are close to us – now that technology takes up space inside the human body, and human aspects move outside of it and into "the cloud" – together with Karolinska, which is one of the most regarded institutions in the field. Will we lead longer lives? How good will our eyesight be, will we become stronger? Really exciting and thought-provoking discussions."
The anniversary year will also bleed into 2025 when The National Museum of Science and Technology will open a new branch in the northern Stockholm suburb of Tensta. The museum has in recent years organized workshops and temporary exhibitions around Stockholm. But for the first time, it will have a permanent annex in the city's surroundings.
The new extension is part of Fokus Järva, a broader investment in the northern suburbs by The City of Stockholm. The stated goal is to get more teenagers and children interested in, and excited about, math, chemistry, physics, and technology. But also to encourage the area's teenagers and young adults to apply for universities and colleges, explains Peter Skogh.
"Unfortunately degree programs in the natural sciences have an under-representation of young women, children from socio-economically vulnerable areas, children of immigrants, or children that have immigrated to Sweden. In the end, it's about offering everybody the same opportunities. But, naturally, everybody living in the area is welcome. We want to do our part in building up a resource of culture and science, that builds bridges between Järva and the rest of Stockholm."
This is Wisdome
- Wisdome Stockholm was inaugurated in December 2023 and is, at the time of writing, one of five similar dome cinemas in Sweden. The other Wisdome cinemas are located at Universeum in Gothenburg, Curiosum in Umeå, Visualiseringscenter C in Norrköping, and at Malmö Museum.
- Wisdome Stockholm's unique feature is its architecture. The construction is made primarily of wood; 650 m³ CLT (cross-laminated timber) and 850 m³ LVL () have been used for the ceiling, roof, floor tiles, support pillars and beams, and the cinema dome itself.
- Wisdome's final shape was selected through an architectural competition. The winning design was made by Stockholm-based Elding Oscarson, with Norwegian design engineer Florian Kosche and Swiss wood construction specialists Blumer Lehmann having provided the technical specs and science behind the construction. The materials were supplied by Stora Enso.