Student housing in Knalleland nominated for prestigious award

When Bostäder i Borås converted Swegmark's old factory premises into student housing, sustainability and the needs of the future tenants came first. The project has now been nominated for the Student Housing Award 2022.

The Glesvingen student housing in Knalleland is one of three finalists for the Student Housing Award, a prize that Studentbostadsbolagen gives out every year to newly created student housing in Sweden.

- We are incredibly proud of the nomination from Studentbostadsföretagen, says Mikael Hansson, managing director of Bostäder i Borås. The aim with Glesvingen was for sustainable thinking to run through the whole project, with the students' needs at the centre. This nomination really shows that we got it right, something the students who have moved in confirm as well.

Rather than building from scratch, Bostäder i Borås worked from the existing structure of Swegmark's old textile factory. The apartment drawings were adapted to the pillars, stairwells and lift shafts that were already there. Old building materials were reused and looked after. In the end, an industrial building has been turned into modern student housing. The adaptations were made in close cooperation with the student union and the architects Tengbom arkitekter. Together they created housing that offers everything from a sharing economy and large social spaces to areas for quiet study and homes that are out of the ordinary.

Bostäder i Borås is now nominated for the Student Housing Award together with K2A Knaust & Andersson Fastigheter and SBS Studentbostäder i Nordenen. The winner will be announced on 25 January.