A geometric concrete box protruding from a field of brickwork at Helgeandskyrkan in Lund, Sweden, has drawn fresh attention for a simple reason: It was built as a functional outdoor pulpit, cast and set directly into the church’s exterior wall.
Completed in 1968, the church was designed by architects Sten Samuelson and Robert Larsson of the Malmö-based practice Jaenecke and Samuelson (JS). Their plan called for thick exterior walls built from dark red brick produced by Höganäs AB, giving the building a heavy, fortress-like presence associated with northern European Brutalism.
The pulpit projects straight from the facade. Access comes from a run of tread steps that read as “floating” against the masonry since there are no visible risers. A flat concrete canopy, cast in the same material language as the pulpit enclosure, extends above it to provide cover for the speaker.
The exterior pulpit concept connects to a major precedent in modern sacred architecture: Le Corbusier’s chapel of Notre-Dame du Haut in Ronchamp, France, completed in 1955, which also integrated an outdoor altar and pulpit into its concrete mass to serve larger gatherings. At Helgeandskyrkan, the idea supports services that can be carried out into the courtyard, linking the church to the surrounding Klostergården residential district.
For mason contractors, the detail is a reminder that brick-forward architecture is never “just a wall.” When concrete elements cantilever through a brick facade, the interface becomes a high-visibility point where layout, tolerances, moisture detailing, and long-term movement planning need clear coordination between trades.
Because of its architectural interest and material execution, Helgeandskyrkan is protected under Sweden’s Cultural Environment Act, administered by the Swedish National Heritage Board.
Read the full, original article from mjengohub.co.ke here.