Open call: Transformation – RE:purpose - ArkDes

Open calls / Open call: Transformation – RE:purpose Open calls Completed Share: Open call: Transformation – RE:purpose Facebook X Email Sweden Open call: Transformation – RE:purpose Practice-based research Passagenhuset, Stockholm. Bengt Lindroos. 1969. ArkDes collection. ArkDes, the Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning (Boverket), the Swedish National Heritage Board (Riksantikvarieämbetet), and the Swedish Property Federation (Fastighetsägarna Sverige) invite teams with design expertise to explore how properties can be transformed for new functions and, in the process, develop innovative proposals for policy development. Demolition and new construction have dominated the building sector in recent decades, resulting in significant material consumption and considerable carbon emissions. However, historically, management, renovation, and reuse have been the standard approach to our built environment. To reduce climate impact and the depletion of natural resources, the industry must shift toward more resource-efficient cycles. Interest in circular economy, renovation, and careful management has grown, but practical application is still in its early stages. Despite the relatively few regulatory barriers to transforming buildings, there are still many systemic obstacles, and a supportive perspective is lacking. Practical knowledge, innovation, and increased focus on the values that can be created for property owners, users, and the surrounding community can help accelerate the transition in the sector when a building is given a new function instead of being demolished. The project Transformation – RE:purpose is a Vinnova-funded initiative and part of ArkDes’s practice-based research effort, where development and management are explored as synonymous concepts. Previous projects on this theme include for example Commoning the Heritage1 in Robertsfors, and VERKET2 in Ulricehamn. ArkDes works with practice-based research to develop and disseminate knowledge about the importance of the design of our shared living environments. Through the Transformation – RE:purpose call, ArkDes, in collaboration with Boverket, Riksantikvarieämbetet, and Fastighetsägarna Sverige, invites interdisciplinary teams to explore possible pathways to promote a shift within the building and property sector toward more management and renovation through speculative design. This includes investigating and developing innovative proposals for policy development during the process. The call is aimed at creative, interdisciplinary teams of designers, architects, heritage conservation experts, and other relevant competencies, who can contribute ideas on the management and development of properties through transformation into new functions. Closed for application. Open calls .pdf(3mb) Read the open call. Click here to read the full open call (in Swedish). .pdf(146kb) Attachement 1 Vinnova's guidelines for funding. The document is written in Swedish. Financier Vinnova. Collaborative partners The Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning (Boverket), the Swedish National Heritage Board (Riksantikvarieämbetet), and Swedish Property Federation (Fastighetsägarna Sverige). Application period 30.01.2025–20.02.2025 Questions? Email [email protected]. Read about the project: Projects Completed 2026 Gothenburg, Stockholm & Umeå Transformation – RE:purpose Practice-based research Praktiknära forskning News 25.03.2025 Gothenburg, Stockholm & Umeå Three Teams Selected for Tesearch Project Transformation – RE:purpose Designed Living Environment