Present at today's inauguration of the Albano campus were Astrid Söderbergh Widding, President of Stockholm University, Anders Söderholm, President of KTH, Caroline Arehult, CEO of Akademiska Hus, Karin Wanngård, Mayor of Finance and Chairman of the City of Stockholm, Stefan Sandberg, CEO of Svenska Bostäder, Anna Kinberg Batra, County Governor of Stockholm County, Disa Ahlblom-Berg, President of the Student Union of Stockholm University and Niklas Carlbaum, President of the Student Union of the School of Engineering.
"Stockholm University is looking forward to being able to strengthen the cohesive campus for the Stockholm Trio through the new building in Albano, which we now see great opportunities to develop. We are also pleased to be able to develop our potential through fully equipped digital environments," says Astrid Söderbergh Widding, Vice-Chancellor of Stockholm University.
"The close, very inspiring and rewarding collaboration between KTH and Stockholm University is now also manifested in physical form through Albano. It is fantastic and will benefit education and research both in practical terms in the everyday life of our researchers, teachers and students, but also strengthen us for the future in the global competition," says Anders Söderholm, President of KTH.
70,000 square meters of university premises
Construction started in November 2015. 70,000 square metres of new university premises are now ready to meet Stockholm University's and KTH's need for modern premises for prominent higher education and research. Lecture halls, group rooms and study spaces are interspersed with outdoor cafes, roof gardens and green spaces. Around 14,000 students, researchers and staff will have their new home here. The area also has landscaped parks, shops and restaurants. A diversity of activities will contribute to creating a vibrant and attractive urban environment at all hours of the day.
"We are proud to inaugurate a brand new campus that gives Stockholm University and KTH the best conditions to conduct their education and research. It has been a long and exciting journey to transform Albano from an industrial area to a cutting-edge university environment. Now we have reached our goal and I am convinced that the area will become an important meeting place for collaboration and knowledge exchange," says Caroline Arehult, CEO of Akademiska Hus.
Caroline Arehult, CEO of Akademiska Hus. Photo: Nils Petter Nilsson
1000 new student housing
Around 1,000 new student and researcher housing have also been built in the area, and the final stage is expected to be completed in November. The majority of the homes are apartments with 1 room and kitchen, but a number of 2-room, 3-room apartments and corridor rooms have also been built.
"It has been both fun and rewarding to be part of building a completely new campus area in Stockholm. We have been able to create an opportunity for students to live in the heart of academic Stockholm – close to their place of study with both nature and city life around the corner – while at the same time contributing to the City of Stockholm's goal of creating more student housing. says Stefan Sandberg, CEO of Svenska Bostäder.
Sweden's first climate-smart campus
Albano is the first climate-smart campus area in Sweden to have been environmentally certified according to Citylab, which makes the area a role model in sustainable urban planning. Several efforts have been made, including the creation of new water systems that take care of stormwater and the fact that the outdoor environments have been designed so that they strengthen the dispersal routes for plants and animals. The sustainability work also includes everything from the choice of materials to the design of cycle paths. To make the university premises as energy efficient as possible, a geothermal heating and cooling system has been installed and solar cells have been placed on the roofs.
The student housing is built according to the Swedish Green Building Council's silver with green roofs that create dispersal routes between Lill-Jansskogen and Brunnsviken. The residential areas and yards are also designed in such a way that stormwater is taken care of by being led down into a stream that runs through the area.
"Stockholm will be a world leader in reducing its emissions and our goal is for the city to be climate positive by 2030. Campus Albano is important for Stockholm as a knowledge region, for the future supply of skills and for growth, and is a good example of how sustainable urban planning is a central part of the work to achieve our climate goal. says Karin Wanngård, Mayor of the City of Stockholm.
Photo: Nils Petter Nilsson
The inauguration continues until September 23
After today's opening ceremony, the opening ceremony continues with a packed programme for several days. The activities have strong links to the project, the area and the activities conducted on site. In various ways, the area's education, research, the universities' collaborations, the project's sustainability perspective and the artistic presence in the area are highlighted. The public is welcome to participate.
Most of the land at Albano is owned by Akademiska Hus and in total the company has invested about SEK 3 billion in the development of the area. Svenska Bostäder's investment amounts to approximately SEK 2 billion. The City of Stockholm's investment consists of parts of the street road network.
Actors campus Albano
Plan owner: City of Stockholm
Tenants: Stockholm University and KTH
Developer: Akademiska Hus (university premises) and Svenska Bostäder (student and researcher housing).
Architects: BSK Arkitekter, Christensen and Co Architects (university premises), Tyréns, Brunnberg & Forshed, Tovatt Architects and Planners and Joliark (student and researcher housing) and Nivå Landskapsarkitektur (outdoor environments).