FOJAB designs more and more housing for young people and students

Proto is the latest in a series of student residences designed by FOJAB. Having previously designed the award-winning Lund Nation Landsarkivet and Helsingkrona Nation, FOJAB is currently involved in two more student housing projects in the city, which means that FOJAB has designed close to 500 student housing units in Lund. 

The first building in the new Proto student accommodation block in Lund has now been occupied. Proto consists of three buildings of three to six floors. The buildings have large gable roofs that accommodate two additional floors of smart ground floor apartments. There, good friends can share accommodation and still feel private. The area consists of seven new blocks with student housing, lush outdoor environments and a strong focus on sustainability.

- When we visited Proto in connection with the move, we could see that it turned out exactly as we had imagined," says Mattias Hedberg Ek, responsible architect at FOJAB.

The new buildings have long corridors and four basic types of apartments. Two of these are single storey and make maximum use of the large roof volume. The widely differing dimensions of the house bodies and a pattern of green panels and windows create variety in the design, and great care has been taken with important details to achieve a good quality that conveys the clean and consistent design of the houses.

Durable and resistant materials are necessary in an environment where many people live and move around. The relocation of student housing is significant and places great demands on interior and exterior solutions. The façade consists of galvanized steel sheets and coloured fibre cement boards, materials that are both durable and maintenance-free. All building materials are free of substances that could be harmful to the environment or health, and are chosen to minimize the use of resources. The buildings are well insulated and have recycling systems that allow energy use to be approximately 20% lower than current new building requirements. More than 90% of the energy used is renewable and, according to current projections, 100% will be reached by 2020.

Mattias Hedberg Ek was also responsible for the design of Helsingkrona Nation's Tornet student accommodation building and the National Archives in Lund. The Tornet student housing building is thirteen stories high and contains, in addition to apartments for "buddy living", a common party floor on the 13th floor with a fantastic view of Lund.

- These are two unique projects where Helsingkrona Nation's student housing stands out with its unique shape and height, says Mattias Hedberg Ek, and continues:

- The Landsarkivet was a very exciting project as it involved a careful rebuilding of a cultural-historical environment while adding another building to the old ones, thus contributing to several new student residences in Lund.

Helsingkrona Nation's student housing building Tornet won the Lund City Planning Prize in 2015 and was also nominated for the Swedish Architects' Housing Prize in the same year. In 2015, Lund Nation Landsarkivet was nominated for the Skåne Architecture Prize.

Designing housing for young people and students is one of FOJAB's areas of expertise, and the firm has recently seen an increase in demand for this type of project. Right now, FOJAB is involved in two more new student housing projects with nearly 120 homes in Lund. Together with Landsarkivet, Helsingkrona Nation and Proto, FOJAB is thus behind almost 500 student homes in the city. FOJAB's office in Stockholm also works with housing for young people, or so-called youth housing.

- These projects are at an early stage, and we are happy to come back and tell you more about them at a later date," says Jens Larsson, architect and office manager of FOJAB's Stockholm office.

Facts about Proto
Client: AF Bostäder
Residential area (BOA): 6 850 m2
Number of apartments: 185
Number of residents: 307
Apartment types: 1-3 room apartments
Location: Kämnärsvägen, Lund
General contractor: NCC
Completed: 2019

Brief facts about Lund Nation Landsarkivet
Client: Lunds Nation Arkivet AB
Location: Lund
Scope: About 120 student housing units
Completed: 2015

Brief facts about Helsingkrona Nation
Client: Helsingkrona Nation
Location: Lund
Scope: About 69 apartments
Completed: 2015