Banal Buildings – A Plain Book on Insignificant Buildings (ed. Stellan Gulde; Banal books 2025) is an architectural analysis of buildings perceived as straight, ugly, and ordinary. The contents is divided into two parts: an anthology of theoretical texts, and a case study with the building stock in Södertälje uthamn harbour district in Sweden. Contributions by Philipp Esch, Matilda Svensk, Jan de Vylder, Josephine Harold, Mikael Parkman, and Stellan Gulde.
Banal buildings, sometimes located in plain sight, other times on urban fringes, in the countryside, or perceived as minor matters next to more prominent buildings, are fascinating because they do not immediately attract attention. They are treated with indifference by most, anonymously omnipresent, and maintainers of normality. Normality is neither spectacular, brutal, nor beautiful and can vary in scale from the big box to the small shed. These buildings are perceived as straight, ugly, and ordinary when the spatial and structural system’s sole purpose is to serve the program without intentional architectural specificities. As spaces of accumulation, they support both production and storage.
– Banal Buildings (Banal books, 2025), book description from the publisher’s website
The text is in English. The book is profusely illustrated with photographs and architectural drawings.
