Dream housing with reasonable monthly cost

AF Bostäder is implementing one of Sweden’s biggest investments in long-term sustainable student housing at Kämnärsrätten. Three of the quarters are now complete, one is close to being inaugurated and in 2022 construction began on Rhodos – a wonder in terms of sustainability and low climate impact.

At the end of 2022, AF Bostäder launched a whistleblower system in which staff can anonymously report serious misconduct. No whistleblower cases have been reported.

When Kämnärsrätten was built in the 1960s, Hans Westman’s innovative “four-leaf clover” buildings had an important role, and in total provided accommodation for 1 000 students. Many students have good memories from these special small buildings, which, apart from in the quarter at Gylleholm, are now a thing of the past. AF Bostäder has been demolishing four-leaf clover buildings since 2016 and has started one of Sweden’s biggest investments in long-term sustainable student housing.

In an extensive renovation project, AF Bostäder is replacing all the plumbing systems for 850 corridor rooms at Delphi. Bathrooms, accommodation, ventilation, broadband and corridor fixtures will also get a revamp. The work is following an ingenious system in which all tenants avoid disruption by moving to a newly renovated corridor – with no change in the rent.

Newly admitted Lund University students whose home is outside Skåne need housing directly in order to begin their studies. The number of accommodation places earmarked for long-distance students increased in 2022.

AF Bostäder’s rent-setting stems from a rent model based on the students’ wishes, and the annual rent increase is negotiated with the Swedish Union of Tenants (Hyresgästföreningen). As AF Bostäder is a foundation, the revenue remains entirely within the organisation, where it is used for maintenance and long-term investments.

In 2020, AF Bostäder produced a code of conduct that is to ensure that AF Bostäder and the company’s partners have the same sustainability aims. The introduction continued in 2021 with a focus on close dialogue.

At Kämnärsrätten, AF Bostäder is driving one of Sweden’s largest investments in student housing. The plans cover six new quarters, and the company is on a purposeful development journey in which each new construction project becomes more innovative and sustainable than the last. The last quarter is the best by far – and the next will be even better.

AF Bostäder has a zero-tolerance policy towards all forms of corruption. The company has both internal guidelines for business ethics and a code of conduct for staff and partners. A whistleblower function will also be established soon.

There is a high demand for housing adapted for students in Lund, but there are many alternatives and most people who are admitted for studies have some form of housing at the start of the semester. AF Bostäder is working in the long term to increase accommodation, and new student housing quarters are taking shape.

The corridor accommodation at Tomegapsgården 15 was renovated during the summer of 2020. The theme throughout was to create a homely atmosphere, and with interior design in a 1950s style the corridor accommodation has been restored to its former glory.

Studentlyckan, established in 1960, is one of AF Bostäder’s most popular housing areas. The area is pleasant with a park-like courtyard environment and well-known for its facades with tiling in different colours. Studentlyckan was designed by Hans Westman and is in easy walking distance of the centre.

When cities become denser, green spaces are usually sacrificed to make way for impervious surfaces, which increase the load on the urban runoff network. At Kämnärsrätten, AF Bostäder is doing the opposite. With more green spaces than previously, the area is equipped for future downpours.

In a project lasting several years, AF Bostäder is transforming the old student housing quarter at Kämnärsrätten into a green and long-term sustainable city district. Hippocampus, a varied and pleasant quarter providing space for 233 Lund students, will be completed in 2021. Among other things, the area offers a height record and one of Lund’s highest vantage points.

AF Bostäder’s operations are reliant to a large extent on other companies and contractors – partners. A new Code of Conduct introduced in 2020 will therefore ensure that AF Bostäder and the company’s partners have similar sustainability ambitions. The Code of Conduct is based on cooperation, so that future sustainability procedures are developed and improved – together.

To ensure the good quality of indoor air in student housing, AF Bostäder has carried out long-term measurements of radon in all residential properties.

AF Bostäder will continue to develop it property portfolio in order to provide more student housing. Construction under our own management is the right way to go – it generates increased knowledge, better housing and city districts that are sustainable in the long term. AF Bostäder has an ambitious and balanced expansion goal. Going forward, there will be one new construction start per year

StudBO, a conference and forum for all those involved in student housing in Sweden, is held every other year. In October 2019, the co-hosts were MKB and AF Bostäder. Approximately 250 participants from all over Sweden joined politicians, housing experts and inspirational speakers to talk about the significance of student housing for a city.

AF Bostäder would like to encourage students (and others) to spend time outdoors. Now the company is rebuilding Kämnärsrätten in north Lund and also setting up Campuskilen – an activity thoroughfare with green spaces for exercise, studying and socialising. 

In 2019, AF Bostäder completed a record number of newly built housing places for students and all are now occupied and ready. Despite the high rate of construction, the focus is on sustainability. Here, students are going to be able to live, work and feel good for many years to come.

In cooperation with Lund Municipality, AB Bostäder is building Sagoeken – a new quarter in Kämnärsrätten for both schoolchildren and students. The project has been enabled by 3-D property division.

The outdoor environment at Vildanden has during the past year undergone extensive renovation. According to the customers' wishes, there are now new barbecue areas, new bicycle parking spaces and a boule court.

AF Bostäder is playing an increasingly important role as a developer of the city and its built environment, and is in a record-breaking period in terms of ongoing construction projects.

As developers of the built environment, AF Bostäder has a sustainability mission that is out of the ordinary – to inspire our young tenants to make more sustainable choices in life. They are our future.

Studentlyckan is getting new kitchens, a better indoor climate and new facades. Due to good planning and smart solutions, each apartment is renovated in just ten days, with minimum disruption.

In the spring of 2017, AF Bostäder sold the family housing section of the Vildanden housing area, Vildandsvägen 2–32, to Heimstaden Bostads AB.

To get better control of quality and costs in its construction projects, AF Bostäder has ended with traditional procurement. Instead, projects are designed, calculated and implemented with all the stakeholders.

AF Bostäder is a creator of the built environment and wants to shape long-term sustainable city districts, where students and Lund residents can have a good future.

Newly-built, sustainable housing can vary widely. The basic factors för us are residential density, space efficiency, materials, sharing economies, high energy requirements and bicycle-friendly surroundings.

Between 2012 and 2017, all balconies and galleries at Ulrikedal were renovated as a part of our maintenance and renewal plan.

In November 2015, AF Bostäder inaugurated Vegalyckan, a result of a cooperation with Lundafastigheter. Here, preschool and elementary school are combined with new housing for up to 172 students.

AF Bostäder aims to develop housing for another 1,250 students by 2021. Focus is on new construction and AF Bostäder is becoming increasingly important as a city developer.

At Gylleholm there are 48 1-room apartments housed in Hans Westman's famous fyrklöverhus (lously translated as "four-leaf cloverhouse") from 1966.