– We are very happy that Akademiska Hus together with Luleå University of Technology has signed a letter of intent for the future university area in Luleå. We see this as a major joint step towards a sustainable and long-term designed campus, which meets both current and future needs and creates space for the university's continued development," says Caroline Arehult, CEO of Akademiska Hus.
The letter of intent means that Campus Luleå is developed to meet the university's need for premises for education and research. On the plots where the D Building and the F Building are located today, two new university buildings for laboratories, offices and teaching will be built. Where the E-building is currently located, a park or similar green area will be constructed that can also serve as a reserve land for Luleå University of Technology's future needs.
– We are extremely happy from Luleå University of Technology that we now have a letter of intent with Akademiska Hus about the future Campus Luleå. This will enable us to modernise the University's premises and ensure that our study environments, workplaces and research infrastructures are appropriate and meet the expectations that we and the surrounding society have of us now and in the future. The participation of our staff and students is crucial for us to succeed in creating an attractive and functional future campus in Luleå, says Vice-Chancellor Birgitta Bergvall-Kåreborn at Luleå University of Technology.
The starting point for the letter of intent is that the investments in new construction will strengthen the business and result in a modern and future-proof environment for lab activities, studies and offices. The ambition is for the transformation of the campus to have as low a climate footprint as possible, while at the same time providing the new buildings with a design that meets today's requirements and will also last long into the future. For the university's new buildings, market rent applies, which is advantageous for Luleå University of Technology.
The continued work, which must be completed by the second quarter of 2024, includes the development of goals and vision documents, a master plan and a timetable for the campus transition. The transformation of the campus will require further decisions by both Luleå University of Technology and Akademiska Hus boards to be realized.