Hasta La Ideas

Creative studio The Great Exhibition has created a permanent, fully functioning rollercoaster in its office in Stockholm.

Named The Frontal Lobe, the 60-metre-long rollercoaster winds through the seating areas, kitchen and bar on the ground floor of The Great Exhibition‘s office in the Liljeholmen district.

The studio, formerly known as PJADAD, created the structure to demonstrate its ethos. It claims it is the “world’s first office rollercoaster”.

“The idea of adding a rollercoaster to our office started years ago as what many people would call an impossible dream, fun but unfeasible, and honestly, a little ridiculous,” The Great Exhibition’s creative director Per Cromwell told Dezeen.

“Over the years, the rollercoaster became something more significant. It was a challenge, a commitment to keeping the human creativity,” he continued.

“In a world increasingly driven by AI and algorithms, where everything is optimised, predictable, and a little soulless, the rollercoaster represents something random, spontaneous, and maybe more than anything, something real.”

The rollercoaster is constructed from red-lacquered steel and operates in a loop around the toilets at the centre of the office’s ground floor.

Raised on steel supports bolted to the floor, the rollercoaster is cranked up to a height of four metres before being released to travel past the kitchen, rise above the building’s entrance and pass through a seating area – wrapping around a circular table, before returning to the start.

The rounded, polished car seats one person.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the studio faced numerous challenges to make the idea of a rollercoaster in a tight office space a reality.

As the studio had no knowledge of rollercoaster engineering it contacted numerous companies and engineers along with backyard rollercoaster communities.

“The challenges were endless,” said Cromwell. “The biggest issue was our near-zero knowledge of rollercoaster engineering, things like calculating radius, managing g-forces, and other technical essentials.

“Eventually, after hundreds of design tweaks, we had a workable plan,” he continued.

“The next hurdle was finding someone who could bend steel pipes to our precise needs; it took ages to locate the right equipment, and buying our own pipe-bending machine was a little out of budget. Somehow, we made it happen without breaking the bank, or the ceiling.”

Cromwell explained that along with the technical issues, the studio also had to navigate getting permissions from the city for the unusual structure.

“The permit in Sweden, this is a complicated matter,” he said. “We registered the rollercoaster first as a ‘steel structure’ then changed it into ‘interior design object’.”

“There are no fitting classifications for indoor rollercoasters in Sweden,” he continued. “So there are no clear rules or legislations against them either. Honestly, we’re not sure about the permits but hey, how could anyone complain on a rollercoaster?”

Along with being a fun, unique addition to the office, Cromwell believes that the rollercoaster symbolises the physicality of the studio’s work compared to AI-driven design.

“The rollercoaster is a reminder of what we stand for: against the predictable, the polished, and the overly analysed,” he explained. “In a world where algorithms and AI shape so much of what we see and experience, everything risks becoming more uniform, almost soulless.”

“We’re all surrounded by data-driven content that’s increasingly tailored to be ‘attractive’, yet it lacks that human touch, the imperfections, the spontaneity, the surprises,” he continued.

“This coaster is a statement against that trend. It’s unexpected, maybe even a little impractical, but it’s an illustration of the spirit of exploration and imagination.”

Cromwell reports that now the rollercoaster is operating, it has become part of many of the studio’s employees’ daily routines.

“People definitely use the rollercoaster,” he said. “It’s become part of our morning routine, some people start their day with a ride, and it’s a great pick-me-up when someone’s feeling low.”

“Not everyone’s a rollercoaster person, though, so for some, coffee wins out. It’s also a popular end-of-day ritual, but the rush to pick up kids and wrap up projects sometimes means we skip that last ride,” he continued.

“The coaster was only finished recently, so there’s still a lot of excitement. We even have a camera set up on the fastest turn, which has quickly become a favourite.”

Other offices interiors with unusual playful features include MR Design Office in Japan, within which Schemata Architects hid a slide behind a mirrored wall, and Airbnb’s London office, which features a “village green”.

The photography is courtesy of The Great Exhibition. 

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