KONCEPTET “OPEN BUILDINGS” BIDRAG TILL BOSTADSUTVECKLINGEN I SVERIGE : EN FALLSTUDIE PÅ RAW PROPERTY

Sammanfattning

Introduction (and purpose) – Open Building is a concept which gives full flexibility and creative freedom for the consumer to design their dwelling according to own preferences (Kendall & Teicher, 2000). The multi-family house and its apartments are constructed according to Swedish building code, however, construction of inner walls and finishes remains for the consumer to decide. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the concept of Open Building and its initial establishment in Sweden as an alternative approach in designing multi-family housing. It is a case study on the housing development company Raw Property and their first multi-family house Raw Rosendal in Uppsala, consisting of 50 apartments. The study examines what positive factors that advocate the implementation of the concept, which opportunities for improvement that can be detected, and how the application of the concept has been perceived in Sweden. Method – A qualitative approach has been conducted as method. The research questions have been answered through semi structured interviews with key persons who have been part of the project, as well as literature studies. The key persons consisted of CEO, CMO, Architect, Supervisor and Real Estate Agent. Results – The case study resulted in answers to the interview questions with the selected key persons. The interview questions were constructed with basis in the research questions and aim of the study. The interview answers thereby resulted in answering the research questions. Analysis – The positive factors that could be detected from the interviews are the advantages connected to the possibility for the consumer to affect the dwelling. Flexibility and ecological sustainability were further aspects which advocates for continuous use of the concept. Knowledge have been gained that will be used for improvements to future projects. Opportunities for improvements are mainly connected to the difficulties of the project being the first implementation in Sweden. Further developments of the concept were raised for discussion during the interviews, where one proposal was to design the loadbearing system in wood instead of concrete. The adaptation of the concept in Sweden have mainly been received as positive since it is a further development in housing design of multi-family housing. Discussion – From the method chosen and with the limitations decided, the study gives a clear result that answers the research questions. The result has strong connections to the scientific articles written about in the theoretical framework.