The Einar Mattsson Foundation for Building and Real Estate Research
The foundation, established in 1998 in connection with the founding of ArkDes on Skeppsholmen, aims to support research in building and housing.
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Resource-efficient use of existing school environments and hidden capacity in Sweden’s single-family housing stock. These are the subjects explored in the two projects that have been awarded this year’s grant from the Einar Mattsson Foundation for Building and Real Estate Research, managed by ArkDes.
The foundation’s purpose is to support research in its field through an annual grant. The grant is open to researchers and practitioners in architecture, building design, and related disciplines. This year’s three priority themes are “circular management of existing buildings,” “adaptability for long-term use of properties/buildings,” and “efficient energy and media consumption in management.”
Out of 58 applications, the foundation’s board has decided to award full funding to two projects: Johanna Hallgren, Maria Wannberg, and Frida Brismar Pålsson for the study “Äldre skolbyggnader som resurs för modern pedagogik och organisation” and Migena Sula for the study “RE:Hus – Anpassningsbara bostäder för långsiktig användning och klimatneutralitet”.
“This year, Einar Mattsson celebrates 90 years, with sights set on 100! We’re thrilled to see such strong interest in the grant, with so many contributions addressing our core areas of housing development, management, and construction. I hope the grant recipients’ continued work will lead to tangible results for greater sustainability within our field,” says Anders Ränk, Partner, Einar Mattsson AB.
“At ArkDes, we hope and believe that these projects will contribute valuable insights into the call’s three themes – circularity, adaptability, and energy efficiency in building and management. The studies can help highlight hidden values and underutilised potential in our contemporary environments. We look forward to following these exciting projects as they develop!” says Karin Nilsson, Acting Director General, ArkDes.
Äldre skolbyggnader som resurs för modern pedagogik och organisation
Johanna Hallgren, Maria Wannberg och Frida Brismar Pålsson
Board’s motivation: The need for creative models for the management and resource-efficient use of existing school environments is highly relevant and aligns closely with the Einar Mattsson Foundation’s designated themes for 2025. The project group’s extensive and cross-sectoral experience in working with school environments is further strengthened by a broad and well-considered reference group representing perspectives from property owners, tenants, and academic research. With property owners, school operators, and consultants as its main target groups, the foundation sees strong potential for the study’s results to be disseminated and applied in practice when adapting existing school environments.
RE:Hus – Anpassningsbara bostäder för långsiktig användning och klimatneutralitet
Migena Sula
Board’s motivation: Half of Sweden’s population lives in single-family houses, many of which were built from the 1970s onwards. The management of this housing stock is therefore crucial to enabling a circular transition within the building and real estate sectors. The study “RE:Hus” focuses on the hidden capacity for more flexible use of Sweden’s single-family homes. Through a cross-sectoral approach encompassing policy and market analysis as well as prototype development, the study has the potential to deepen knowledge within the foundation’s designated 2025 themes. With Villaägarna Kronoberg as a strategic partner, the project ensures a user perspective while strengthening the potential for practical implementation.
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