Jan Torsten (1938–2020)

By Maddie Leach in Lund on

I have a file on my laptop with 23 emails from Jan Torsten Ahlstrand. I received the first one on February 23 this year. It begins: "Dear Maddie Leach from Down Under!". The last three came in a flurry on November 20 and are variously signed: "Fountain greetings"; "With Corona-free…

The problem with glass

By Maddie Leach in Architecture on

One persistent part of the narrative around LTH Fontänen is that its 'glaslådor' (glass boxes) were subject to several attempts of "sabotage" by sling shot. Åke Holmberg, consulting engineer for the project, repeatedly cited this as the reason for the structure's failure rather than any miscalculation in design. According to…