The start is now underway for the new building, which will meet Umeå University's needs for teaching and office premises, but also remedy the lack of exam rooms in close proximity to the campus. With its strategic and central location, the building will become the university area's future hub.
The new building, which was called Hus K in the planning stage, connects Universum, Aula Nordica and the House of Natural Sciences and strengthens Campus Umeå's physical identity. The 9,500 square meter building will cover five floors and contain exam rooms with room for up to 540 people, which means that Umeå University can for the first time collect all its exam rooms on the main campus. There will also be premises for teaching, offices, study places and a café.
- The need for new exam rooms in a central location on the campus in Umeå has long been great and it is gratifying that the work will now be started. We look forward to having access to the new flexible premises when they are ready, says Hans Adolfsson, rector at Umeå University.
Flexible premises for increased premises utilization and reduced climate footprint
In order to be able to use the premises in the new building as efficiently as possible, they are given flexibility so that they can be easily converted to different activities. This means, among other things, that the exam halls must be able to be converted into classrooms when the need increases, and conversely that classrooms can be used as exam halls during intensive exam periods. Through the high degree of generality and user flexibility, a sustainable building is created that is future-proofed over a long period of time.
- Building sustainably and long-term is always of utmost importance to Akademiska Hus and we set high environmental standards in the development of all our construction projects. With a series of initiatives such as evaluating all system choices from a climate perspective and installing energy-efficient functions such as need-based ventilation and lighting, we ensure that the new house will be a climate-smart building. We also have a focus on reuse and will reuse some materials from other buildings within our property portfolio, says Ali Ranji, project director at Akademiska Hus.
The building's frame has also been optimized based on the activities to be carried out in the premises and each part has been calculated to reduce material consumption. The concrete that will be used is green concrete, which is better for the environment than traditional concrete.
Another sustainability aspect that contributes to a reduced climate footprint is that the new building was initially intended to be larger than what is now the case. By collecting data via sensors and booking systems and based on that analyzing how the university's existing premises can be used even better, Akademiska Hus and Umeå University have been able to greatly reduce the original need for new production.
The new building is expected to be ready in the spring of 2025. Akademiska Hus currently estimates its investment in the project at SEK 340 million.