It is the so-called Språkskrapan, which was built in the 1960s, that Akademiska Hus has now converted into a modern accommodation for international students and researchers at the University of Gothenburg. The building is located in the Näckrosen area at Renströmsparken between Götaplatsen and Korsvägen.
"The housing will be an important contribution to reducing the student housing shortage that prevails in the city, which means that Gothenburg was recently red-listed in the Swedish National Union of Students' annual report on the housing situation for the country's students. With more housing, we are also helping to make the Näckrosen University area more vibrant and safe at all hours of the day," says Anna Alsborger, Property Director at Akademiska Hus.
Akademiska Hus has invested a total of approximately SEK 110 million in the new apartments, which are being leased in blocks by the University of Gothenburg.
" The apartments will be filled with students and researchers from all over the world. The investment in housing in Språkskrapan is a necessity for us to be able to recruit international researchers and students and is thus an important part of the university's internationalisation work. We also hope that the new form of housing will contribute to an exchange between those who will live here," says Karin Hellqvist, Head of Section for Welcome Services at the University of Gothenburg.
From studios to shared accommodation
The homes in Språkskrapan consist of two buildings with a common stairwell. There are classic student studios and duo apartments for two people, but also larger apartments according to the student housing concept for shared living that Akademiska Hus has developed. In these apartments, five to six people live, each with their own bedroom but sharing a kitchen, living room and bathroom.
"Sharing accommodation provides many benefits, such as increased social community and fewer people feeling lonely, something that many students can experience when they move to a new city. Shared housing is also positive from a sustainability perspective in that functions and spaces can be shared together," says Linda Teng, concept manager for Academic Living.
Photo: University of Gothenburg
Rebuilding, reuse and solar cells for a reduced climate footprint
To create as climate-smart housing as possible, Akademiska Hus has built the student housing in an already existing building. Preliminary calculations show that the reconstruction of Språkskrapan has generated a lower climate impact of approximately 1,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) compared to if Akademiska Hus had built a completely new building.
Much of the existing materials from when the building was an office have been reused, including window sills, doors and lighting fixtures. On the outside of the house there are recycled plants and granite stone that has been taken from other construction projects within Akademiska Hus, and for the terrace and outdoor furniture, used azob timber was purchased, which has previously been on the now demolished footbridge between Nordstan and Lilla Bommen in Gothenburg.
The language scraper has also been equipped with solar cells on the roof. The plant is estimated to produce about 24,000 kWh of sustainable energy per year and will cover part of the building's internal electricity needs, for example for lighting.