Turebergskyrkan

Turebergskyrkan was built to bring together the worship life previously centred on S:t Eriks kyrka with the everyday activities of the parish hall. Construction took around four years, and the church was consecrated in December 2010 by Bishop Eva Brunne. It was designed by architect Helena Tallius Myhrman and built by the construction firm Peab.

The building has a square plan with curved walls and sharply drawn, pointed corners, giving it an unusual silhouette compared with traditional parish churches. The architect wanted the church to be visible from the nearby railway line, and achieved height through a distinctive almond-shaped roof structure, known as a mandorla, which admits light from the south and creates striking interior lighting effects beneath a ceiling reaching around thirteen metres.

Inside, the atmosphere is deliberately pared-back and functional, with vaulted concrete walls and windows set into the corners of the room. The use of concrete was a considered choice: it responds slowly to temperature change, helping to retain warmth after dark while keeping the space cooler during the day, an approach in keeping with the building's broader environmental theme.

Sustainability runs through much of the church's fittings and furnishings. According to Wikipedia, the altar, lectern, organ casing and font are made from waste timber, the light-bearers from reinforcement steel, and the altar crucifix, baptismal bowl and communion vessels from recycled glass, while the roof is turfed and the chairs are made from spun plastic recovered from PET bottles. These choices are said to symbolise the idea that discarded materials can still be put to meaningful use.

The church has attracted international attention for this unusual, sustainability-focused interior, and was nominated for a Swedish concrete industry design award. Visitors familiar with more traditional Swedish parish churches will find Turebergskyrkan a striking contrast, both in its architecture and in its underlying philosophy.