After three years of intensive work, Fredrik Sillrén's latest project is complete: a new office building for Boliden in Skellefteå, Sweden. A project where every detail, from the facade to the chair fabric, is built on one and the same material: copper.
A project shaped by local identity
When Fredrik Sillrén was commissioned to design Boliden's new office and control-room building in Skellefteå, through his collaboration with the industrial company IFA, he faced a unique challenge. The staff, who had previously been spread across different locations in a more traditional industrial setting, were to be gathered under one roof. From the control room to the meeting rooms, everyone would be brought together in a modern, clean working environment.
"The big thing, from an organisational point of view, has been to gather everyone now that people have been spread across so many different places, and to be able to work together," Fredrik explains.
Design philosophy: Industrial elegance
Through design workshops with the staff, the concept took shape: the design would be local, rooted in Skellefteå and in what is produced there. The answer was, of course, copper.
"The foundation itself would be design. The design idea comes from the copper, the colour of the copper, how it is made, whether it is struck or milled," Fredrik says. The entire colour palette and choice of materials starts from the copper. Its colour, from light pink to verdigris green, how it is worked, its surface texture.
The facade of Boliden's new office and control-room building in Skellefteå. © Sillrén Arkitekter Ab
But it is not only about aesthetics. Fredrik was after what he calls "an industrial aesthetic": order, efficiency, simplicity. "Almost like stacking bricks on top of each other. Dyed concrete elements in three different copper tones. So there is a rhythm to it, but a simplicity, and it fits into the whole."
From KTH to his own company
Fredrik's journey began in 1999, when he started studying [architecture at KTH (the Royal Institute of Technology) in Stockholm. After graduating in 2004, he met a tough job market, but began working with his father, who designed and sold restaurant kitchens. That was the start of a broad experience, from restaurant projects to large industrial projects at Tengbom.
In 2011, Fredrik took the step of starting his own company, Sillrén Arkitekter Ab. The driving force was simple: freedom and economy. "It is important to have children and family during the same period. It is enormously important to be able to control your own time," he says.
The interior of Boliden's new office and control-room building in Skellefteå. © Sillrén Arkitekter Ab
From 2D to 3D: "Like reaching heaven"
When Fredrik started his own firm, he also made a technical leap. From the flat world of AutoCAD, he threw himself straight into Archicad and 3D drawing.
"It was like reaching heaven. It was wonderful. It was completely magical," he recalls with a smile. For someone who loves working with hand sketches but does not want to sit and draw sections, the possibilities of 3D were a relief. Today he combines Archicad with Enscape for rendering, which gives real-time images with good lighting.
Archicad drawing of Boliden's new office and control-room building in Skellefteå. © Sillrén Arkitekter Ab
Inspiration and dreams
Among Fredrik's sources of inspiration is the American architect Louis Kahn, known for his work with concrete and wood. "With a feeling that is fantastic," as Fredrik puts it.
His strongest experience as an architect? "It is some of the study visits you make when you are studying. You arrive there and you almost feel it just running down through your body. Wow, this is something completely different."
Recently he experienced something similar when, after three years of work, he could finally visit the finished Boliden project. "You have had it in your head the whole time. It is up here in 3D. And then you arrive there and it was really, really good. It is wonderful to walk around in it."
Advice to the next generation
If Fredrik could give one piece of advice to his younger self, it would be: "Dare more."
"Architects should come up with lots of ideas. And if I think back on myself, I would tell myself, because back then you were quite anxious and a little nervous. The worst you can get is, 'No, we do not want that.' Then you can step back, but you aim higher all the time."
His advice is also not to get stuck in details too early. "Try to see the big picture. What is the main purpose, the main concept, and that is what you should focus on."
Boliden's new office and control-room building in Skellefteå. © Sillrén Arkitekter Ab
Looking ahead
In 50 years, Fredrik does not necessarily hope to be remembered as an architect. His vision is more fundamental: "To create environments that will last, and perhaps not be torn down in 50 years. That would be the finest thing."
With 22 years of experience behind him and projects ranging from private commissions to large industrial complexes, Fredrik continues to explore the possibilities of architecture. And retiring? "I will never stop. I will keep drawing houses and the like."
When he is not drawing, Fredrik is often found outdoors, on a run or in the CrossFit box. At home he enjoys cooking and exploring the world of wine, a passion that comes close to a dream of one day running his own restaurant.
But until then, he continues to do what he loves: creating environments where people thrive and feel good.
Fredrik Sillrén has run Sillrén Arkitekter Ab since 2011 and works on everything from private commissions and restaurant concepts to large industrial projects. Boliden's new office building in Skellefteå is ready for move-in in March 2026.
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