During the autumn of 2023, major maintenance work was carried out at Grimeton Radio Station. Specifically, on the high central part of the transmitter hall, where the windows on both sides needed to be replaced. The County Administrative Board of Halland provided funds for the project as it contributed to the understanding of the building’s original character and function.
There are windows on both sides of the main hall. On one side of the pile there were originally openable wooden windows where excess heat from the Alexanderson transmitters (yes, there were originally two transmitters) could be discharged. As the use of the old transmitter declined, so did the need for heat dissipation and the interest in the building. In 1989, the original windows in the high section were replaced by modern, aluminum-clad wooden windows that could not be opened. When the cardboard roof of the broadcasting hall was rebuilt in 2020, it was discovered that the window sections of the upper part were in poor condition. In the planned maintenance work, the window sections were restored by replacing the windows with new ones, similar to the originals. Eighteen windows were replaced, and the new windows were made of wood with a period-appropriate design. They were also made openable. On the south side, the preserved opening mechanism was connected, so that the windows can once again be opened from the floor.
“It felt fantastic to be able to restore the building with both the function that was there from the beginning and with the character that architect Carl Åkerblad once intended for the beautiful radio station to have,” said Camilla Lugnet, CEO of World Heritage Grimeton.
As the building is a cultural heritage site and a World Heritage site, antiquarians were involved and careful choices were made in every detail. The new windows were manufactured locally by A-Kvalitet just east of Kungsbacka, formerly Allarängen’s windows, founded in 1950. The carpentry company has also built windows for other characteristic and valuable buildings in Varberg, including Kallbadhuset, Societetsrestaurangen and Heijlska villan. The wood was carefully selected and dried with care before the windows were manufactured and then transported for linseed oil painting at Sandå Måleri in Varberg. The window replacement was carried out by Börjesson’s Bygg in Tvååker.
