The houses were originally completed in 1951 and were for a long time a student home for the students of the Forest School Foundation. In the 1980s, the premises became home to the Department of Psychology at Stockholm University, whose activities have now moved to the Albano campus. This gave Akademiska Hus the opportunity to rebuild the buildings to their original function, a work that has been ongoing since January 2023. Today, the new researcher housing is inaugurated, offering a home in a historically unique environment – in the middle of campus Frescati Hage.
"This project means that we will use our existing property portfolio while maintaining and developing our important historic buildings. With more housing, the campus will also become an even more vibrant and attractive place," says Anna Alsborger, Property Director at Akademiska Hus.
"It has been exciting to follow the project and we are positive about the development of more homes in Frescati Hage. There is a high demand for campus housing among our international researchers and doctoral students," says Clara Bohman, group manager for Stockholm University's housing supply, who confirms that all apartments are rented.
Shared living offers many benefits
The homes, which go by the name Elevhemmet, consist of four interconnected houses on two floors, all of which connect to a lush courtyard. Each apartment consists of six bedrooms, two bathrooms and a shared kitchen and living room, according to the student and researcher housing concept for shared living that Akademiska Hus has developed.
"Sharing housing provides many benefits, such as increased social community and that fewer people feel lonely. Shared housing is also positive from a sustainability perspective in that functions and spaces can be shared together," says Linda Teng, concept manager for student and researcher housing at Akademiska Hus.
Reuse in a valuable cultural environment
The work to restore the houses to housing has been carried out with the sustainability ambition to take care of as much as possible of the environment, surfaces, wardrobes, doors and windows. The Stockholm City Museum has classified the buildings as green, i.e. the second highest class, which means that the original design and character of the buildings have been preserved and that the reconstruction has taken place in close dialogue with the antiquarian.
Part of a larger investment
The housing in the Student Home is one of several conversions to student and researcher housing that Akademiska Hus runs at Frescati Hage. In addition to the company's existing housing in the area, construction is underway on Remus, where a building that was previously used for teaching is now being transformed into 72 apartments close to campus for 86 students and researchers. Remus is planned to be ready for occupancy in the summer of 2025. Who will block that building is not yet clear.