Social housing as a model for small towns

Neighborhood, small town and meetings between generations are the focus of Vallentuna's new sheltered housing. Behind the winning proposal in the land allocation competition are Seniorgården, Borätt and FOJAB. The proposal received the highest score for both block layout and design.

Vallentuna municipality wanted more housing for seniors. The winning concept in the land allocation competition is based on social housing - but it has been supplemented with terraced houses to increase the diversity of the area.

- In order to achieve a good mix in the housing environment, we are adding housing types that are aimed at people of different ages and life situations. The security home for those who need to think ahead, the townhouse for the family that has had its first child," says Fabian Pyk, responsible architect at FOJAB.

- Security and community are created by people working together. To contribute to increased quality of life and reduced loneliness, we believe in meetings between generations," says Jörgen Palm, project manager at Seniorgården.

With the small town as a model, the plot is divided into two, with their different characters forming a whole. On the western side, about 60 sheltered housing units and eight townhouses are being built around a green courtyard. The apartments are bright and well-planned with high accessibility and generous balconies and patios. The park courtyard is the heart of the neighborhood with boule courts, an orangery and a barbecue area. Also facing the courtyard is a large community room, the neighborhood's living room. The eastern side consists entirely of terraced houses that are also built around a common space to encourage community and meetings.

The block relates well to the surrounding landscape in terms of scale and the proposed choice of materials. The buildings vary between four and three storeys in the apartment buildings and two storeys in the small-scale terraced houses. Wooden facades and gable roofs in sheet metal hold the design together, while there is a variation in the details.

The project is quality assured through Nordic Ecolabel certification. Estimated start of construction is 2025.