Open call: RE:purpose Kista 

ArkDes and the City of Stockholm invite transdisciplinary teams to explore how Kista’s large-scale office and business district can be transformed as ways of working, demand for space and economic conditions change. How can existing buildings, urban spaces and infrastructure be given new uses while retaining and building on the area’s architectural, cultural and historical qualities?

Moving towards more sustainable urban development requires cities to make greater use of their existing buildings and built environments. This is particularly relevant for office and business districts developed during the second half of the 20th century, which today face changing economic, social and functional conditions.

RE:purpose Kista takes Kista’s business district in north-west Stockholm as its starting point. Development of the area began in the 1970s, and Kista grew into a major hub for information and communication technology, research and higher education. Today, questions are emerging about how its existing buildings and urban environments can be adapted to new needs and how architectural and heritage values can be preserved and developed as the area continues to evolve.

Through site-based, design-led and transdisciplinary approaches, the teams will explore how Kista can accommodate new uses while continuing to function as a place for work and business. The work will result in strategies and scenarios for the area’s transformation, contributing knowledge and concrete ideas that may also be relevant to other areas with similar conditions.

RE:purpose Kista is a practice-based research project within ArkDes’ research focus on Transformation. It builds on the experience of RE:purpose (2025–2026), which focused primarily on the individual building as a resource. With Kista as a case study, the focus shifts from individual buildings to the wider urban context.

The open call is aimed at transdisciplinary teams of three to four people from at least two different disciplines and two different workplaces. Teams must have design expertise in architecture or design, as well as experience of transdisciplinary, site-based and investigative approaches. Up to three teams will each receive a research grant of SEK 600,000.