Arkitekturmässigt

Arkitekturmässigt is a Swedish adverb meaning “in terms of architecture” or “architecturally speaking.” It is used to qualify statements that concern architectural qualities, design, planning, or the urban form of buildings and environments, rather than their cost, functionality, or sustainability alone.

The word is formed from arkitektur, the Swedish word for architecture, combined with the suffix -mässigt, which creates adverbial phrases meaning “in terms of” or “to the extent of.” It is typically used to frame a statement around architectural aspects and can modify adjectives or whole clauses, for example to indicate that a critique focuses on aesthetics, composition, or how a building integrates with its surroundings.

Usage notes: In Swedish discourse, arkitekturmässigt is more common in media, criticism, and planning discussions than in some formal academic texts. It signals a focus on architectural issues such as form, materiality, proportion, detail, and relation to urban context. It can be paired with evaluative adjectives (arkitekturmässigt starkt, arkitekturmässigt svagt) or used as a parenthetical qualifier.

Related terms include arkitektoniskt, an adjective meaning “architectural” as a property, and arkitekturrelaterad, which describes something related to architecture. The English equivalents are architecturally or from an architectural perspective; Swedish usage should be careful not to conflate style with function.