Four visionary teams will guide the built environment sector in Sweden in its sustainability transformation

Four interdisciplinary teams have been selected to join The Futures We Build and create visions of a sustainable built environment sector in Sweden. The visions will illustrate pathways towards futures in which the built environment contributes to mitigating and adapting to climate change, circularity is the standard, and value chains and business logic are based on life cycle perspective.

The four teams, Rehearsals, Waves, Now is the new tomorrow and Beyond Blueprints, will take distinct perspectives in the visions making use of their broad expertise, experiences and perspectives. During this autumn, the teams will learn from different actors in the built environment sector, draw inspiration from spearheading sustainability initiatives and tap into their interdisciplinary expertise and skills to create compelling visions.?

The visions, made available in January 2025, will support, inspire and inform multiple actors in the sector in their efforts to collaborate, transform and, together, find new ways of working and organising.

Rehearsals

The team Rehearsals will explore the futures of Million Program housing, embodying a transformative paradigm for urban heritage preservation. They will work to create a vision of a future where an economy of care and repair redefine our built environment, challenging prevailing narratives of demolition and renewal. The team will seek to integrate scenario design with sustainable stewardship, looking at ways that existing buildings and communities can be cared for and learned from in order to better inform our future.

The team members are Love Di Marco (architect), Margarida Waco (architect and researcher), Natalie Hase (architect), Jelena Mijanovic (manager circular economy, building sector), Tobias Hentzer Dausgaard (architect and industrial Ph.D. fellow) and Peter Str?m (graphic/web designer).?

Waves

The team Waves will explore how interaction between virtual and physical spaces can enable new ways of decision making for our built environment and the inclusion of all inhabitants needed for our cities to adapt to climate change. The team will focus on former industrial harbour spaces and how they can be transformed with accessibility for all citizens. They’ll use Malm? as a platform and a test bed while creating a vision that is scalable and adaptable on a national level. The team members are Mirja Wande (architect), Gustav Svanborg Eden (project leader, Malm? Stad), Marthijn Pool (architect / co-founder of Space&Matter), Michael Palmgren (Marine Education Center Malm?), Marcus Leyman (software engineer and systems architect),? Isak Nyborg (water coordinator) , Anna Eklund (landscape architect).?

Now is the new tomorrow?

Now is the new tomorrow challenges you to imagine that a sustainable society is already here but we miss the skills and knowledge to utilise it. The team will explore, identify and demonstrate what new professional roles could help utilise already existing sustainable solutions. The vision they’ll create will include various new professional roles, skills and competencies in the built environment sector and exercises for reflection and action towards a sustainable future. The core team members include Teres Arvidsson (process leader), Gustav Magnusson (urban planner), Johan Pitura (circular architect), and Erik Larsen (circular structural engineer). They will be backed by experts such as Frida Hylander (climate psychologist), and Lia Ghilardi (cultural planner and creative strategist).

Beyond Blueprints

Beyond Blueprints will create a vision that combines a human-centered approach with sustainability and advanced digitalisation in the built environment sector. They will explore how residents could engage with their city in the future when the tripple transition of green, social and digital transitions are realised. They seek to create a vision that opens up for creating safe, meaningful and joyful opportunities for residents to participate in the city's development and make informed decisions in daily life.?

The team members are Vanessa Ware (innovation and process leader, Ware Labs) Malin Lampa (innovation and digitalisation leader in the built environment sector, TechSeed), Maria Lindel?f (sustainability strategist & process leader within sustainable urban development, Enk?ping kommun), Bobo Baudin (strategist soft digital infrastructure, SKR), Katrin Behdjou Arshi (urban development director, Fastighets?garna Stockholm), Karin Victorin (artist & producer, Wild Ride).?

The Futures We Build is a strategic project within Smart Built Environment, one of Sweden’s 17 Strategic Innovation Programs, run by Media Evolution in partnership with the Federation of Swedish Innovation Companies ( Innovationsf?retagen ). It is funded by Formas (Swedish government research council for sustainable development), Vinnova (Sweden’s innovation agency) and The Swedish Energy Agency.