The Nålskäran project entailed building 118 student apartments in the Guldheden district of Gothenburg. The apartments should be eco-friendly, and students should be able to afford to live there. Inhouse Tech was responsible for project management, project design/planning and construction management. When the building was finished we, along with the Chalmers Studentbostäder Foundation, the main contractor PEAB and a great many sub-consultants, had managed to create 118 centrally located green homes for under EUR 10 million.
The challenges
During the planning phase, we procured the many sub-consultants needed for the project, from plumbing, heating and ventilation engineers to power and environmental consultants. “Using start-up meetings to establish guidelines and monitor the status on an ongoing basis, we could make sure the project proceeded as smoothly as possible,” says Nils Brazée, Head of Planning.
It's important not to get stuck in thinking that things have to be done like they've always been done. That's forbidden. In a project like this, you have to be open to thinking along new lines.
After the project design and planning phase, Inhouse Tech also headed up the construction. The ongoing construction meetings proceeded smoothly despite some quite tough requirements.“I always like to keep things in order in my projects,” says our Construction Manager Martin Jaworski, “and although we had some differing opinions at times, I feel that there was always a mutual respect for each other’s business throughout the project.”
An acclaimed end result
The 118 homes of 24 and 36 square metres at Nålskäran span six floors on Doktor Forselius Backe in Gothenburg. The courtyard features plenty of bicycle parking and a car pool for tenants. And even though the building was made with high-quality materials and solar panels on the roof, the rents are reasonable. Nålskäran is also certified as a Green Building Gold. The certificate comes from the Sweden Green Building Council, according to their system for environmental classification as based on official building regulations and good construction practice in Sweden. When the certificate was awarded in 2014, Nålskäran was the only student hall of residence in Sweden to achieve Gold level. Since then the project has also received an honourable mention at the Green Building of the Year awards, has been nominated for Building of the Year in Gothenburg, and has received extensive positive attention in the media.
Still today, Nålskärnan is one of my best projects.
When the project was delivered with 118 apartments for just under SEK 100 million (about EUR 10 m) in total, our client was delighted. Together we turned those lofty ambitions into reality, enabling more students and researchers to live well and live green at a reasonable price. That’s something that makes us proud at Inhouse Tech, too.
