Chalmers kårhus, Student union building at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Chalmers kårhus is the student union building at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, containing leisure facilities and services for the academic community. It features a swimming pool, gym, dining venues, conference spaces, bars, sauna, and a cinema spread across its structure.
The student union's first building, Lopphuset, was inaugurated on 6 November 1948; it was an old estate house bought by the city for 500 kronor and used for gasques until 1957. Prince Bertil took the first spadeful for the older union building on 23 February 1951, and it opened on 31 October 1952, designed by Melchior Wernstedt. Gert Wingårdh's current building was completed in 2001 and won the Kasper Salin Prize that year.
The name kårhus refers to the Chalmers Student Union's building, whose 1952 section was inaugurated by inspector Professor Gustaf Lundberg. Its predecessor, the "Lopphuset" at Gibraltar Manor, was bought by the city for 500 kronor and named after Anticimex's insecticide trials there. Gasques were held in Loppan until 1957, and food was shuttled to the new building in a VW bus nicknamed "Tuggbussen".
The building forms part of the main entrance to the Johanneberg campus, so it is a natural starting point for a visit. A courtyard and terrace sit on the lower level, and the RunAn auditorium, reading rooms and study rooms are indoors. The 1976 dining hall seats 400.
The 1952 building by Melchior Wernstedt was found to be a black build: work had started months before the permit arrived in September 1951. Its cellar held the house's oddest piece of furniture, and the old kitchen sent food to the new wing in a VW bus nicknamed "Tuggbussen".
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,608 contributors worldwide.