AF Bostäder is setting up an increasing number of areas with an aim to promote insects and birdlife. Biotopia opened in November 2022 – a buzzing housing area for insects.

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.

It is well-known that we feel better in mind and body when we exercise. That is why in recent years, AF Bostäder has invited its tenants to take part in activities such as fun runs and league games in various sports, in cooperation with LUGI Motion. The interest from students is considerable and the atmosphere is great. Exercising is not only beneficial, but also very enjoyable.

In 2022, Sweden was affected by dramatic rises in electricity costs and the risk of electricity shortages, and it became more important to help out in saving electricity for financial and solidarity reasons. AF Bostäder has for many years worked in a target-oriented way on improving energy efficiency, and the initiatives have been continually expanded. During the autumn, the company also launched a campaign to encourage students to be economical with electricity.

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.

Customers with several debt collection demands regarding rent may, among other things, lose their queue time. AF Bostäder has therefore launched a new service that has reduced the number of consequences resulting from debt collection cases.

AF Bostäder works preventively on runoff water management in order to reduce the risk of damage from torrential rain. According to a risk review by VA Syd, preparedness is predominately good.

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.

Everyone living at AF Bostäder is to feel secure in their home. That is why the company continuously maintains everything from outdoor environments, lighting and stairwells – to locks for housing.

AF Bostäder uses district heating to heat almost all the radiators and hot water in its properties. District heating is a locally produced, easy-to-manage, reliable, resource-efficient and cost-effective form of heating. It is also eco-friendly – 99.8% of the district heating in Lund consists of renewable, recycled heat.

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.

Mental health problems are becoming more common and students are a particularly vulnerable group. Therefore, AF Bostäder wants to find out more about how student housing can affect health, and whether students can feel better depending on how they choose to live. The company has allowed two students on the psychology programme to examine the links between housing environment and mental health.

In November, Lund University organised Climathon on the theme of Sustainable Student Housing, with AF Bostäder as principal partner. Exciting ideas were contributed by both Lund residents and students.

AF Bostäder’s vision is to be Sweden’s best student housing company. The organisation has a strong customer focus, and customer surveys, with questions covering areas such as housing, security and sustainability, form the basis for continuous initiatives regarding housing quality.

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.

Preparations for the year’s rent negotiations were characterised by considerable uncertainty due to the economic climate. Although AF Bostäder has been affected by costs that are no longer in relation to revenue, the company has been able to ensure that rents rose by only 2% from 1 January 2023 (1.9% 2022).

The Swedish construction industry has come a long way regarding recycling, and now the focus is increasingly turning towards reuse and circular construction. In connection with demolition work at Kämnärsrätten, AF Bostäder has carried out several successful projects for the reuse of fixtures and fittings. The company notes that reuse on a larger scale requires new knowledge, new networks and far-reaching changes in the sector.

As the students’ own housing company, AF Bostäder has a considerable responsibility to prudently manage its funds. In general, the company is restrained concerning sponsorship, but sees a great value in supporting the activities in student life and the Lund Carnival in particular. The sense of community in Lund’s student life is unique in Sweden, and the investments help to strengthen Lund as a university city.

In order to enhance wellbeing, some of the larger corridors at Delphi has been converted into smaller units. The tenants have been involved in choosing the colour schemes.

AF Bostäder’s caretakers have a broad job description with responsibility for everything from ongoing maintenance, repairs and inspections to taking care of outdoor environments. But the most enjoyable – and most important – is the social responsibility. Caretakers at AF Bostäder are to promote social sustainability, help the students settle in and contribute to wellbeing and security in the housing area.

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.

AF Bostäder is a foundation with a mission to provide housing for students at Lund University. The company is closely connected to student life and the students have considerable influence. The Academic Society appoints board members as well as the students’ own housing ombudsman – “bostadsombudsman” in Swedish and generally referred to as “Bomben”.

In a two-year initiative, AF Bostäder has renovated and renewed the outdoor environment at Ulrikedal. In addition to technical maintenance and improved waste systems, the initiative has given the students secure, well-lit bicycle parking spaces, pleasant areas for socialising where lawns and meadows are interspersed with barbecue areas, boule court, outdoor gym and much more.

AF Bostäder’s Service Centre is at Sparta, directly adjacent to the company’s head office. Students visit the Service Centre to ask all kinds of questions about their housing. The Service Centre also manages procedures for keys in connection with moving.

AF Bostäder has achieved good results in measuring and reducing emissions of greenhouse gases in its own operations and from purchased energy. Now, the focus is intensifying on other indirect emissions. A recent review is to form the basis for reducing emissions from new construction projects and property management.

AF Bostäder constantly looks for solutions to improve the housing experience and the range of services for tenants. Through cooperation with various partners, the company can find good ideas for services that suit the students. It is a customer group with certain specific conditions and interests – they work from home and rarely use a car.

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.

When the outdoor environment at Ulrikedal was to be revamped, the students were invited to express their wishes – with fantastic results! Ulrikedal has become a verdant place for games, sport and socialising.

One of AF Bostäder’s prioritised global goals concerns protecting biodiversity and natural living environments. AF Bostäder promotes a great variety of species by means such as confining new construction to areas with already impervious surfaces and laying sedum roofs. Much remains to be done and several new initiatives are under way.

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.

The students can hand in waste such as batteries, electronic devices, light sources and bulky furniture in the Green Room, which also has the popular recycling shelf where objects disappear just as fast as they are handed in.

An increasing number of students are affected by mental health problems. AF Bostäder has run the Help information project since 2019 to help more people get the right support. The initiatives continued in 2021 with education, lectures and film production, as well as preventive leisure activities, which have rapidly become popular.

Since 2020, AF Bostäder has carried out climate impact calculations for all new construction projects, something that will be required by law from 2022. The aim is to map and reduce the impact of new construction on the climate.

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.

At AF Bostäder, the viewing of housing and the renting out process are conducted digitally on the website. To make things easier for students, new and better photos and films will be available to show the housing areas.

Cooking fat that is disposed of in the kitchen sink can cause damage to drains and sewers and attract pests, but if the fat is collected, it can be converted into biofuel. In a pilot project, the students have recycled a total of 700 kilos of cooking fat, and the initiative is now being expanded.

A bicycle is the best way to get around in Lund, and the students would like to fix their bicycles where they live. For that reason, AF Bostäder is opening more bicycle repair rooms.

Most of us know that cigarette butts should not be discarded on the ground or in nature, but even so they tend to end up there. With a newly started nudging project at Delphi, AF Bostäder wants to inspire more people to dispose of their cigarette butts in the correct way, for the benefit of wellbeing and the environment. At the heart of the project is AF Bostäder’s newly engaged staff member: Ash.

As the students’ own housing company, AF Bostäder has a great responsibility to carefully manage the foundation’s funds. In general, the company is restrained regarding sponsorship, but contributes every year to events and activities that are significant for student life.

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.

Mental health problems affect more than one in two students. AF Bostäder launched the Help information project to increase knowledge among students and staff and to offer assistance for those affected.

AF Bostäder has improved its plant protection system. Now, weeds are cleared from impervious surfaces using only hot water. The system is efficient, eco-friendly and easy to use.

AF Bostäder has begun to carry out climate impact calculations for new construction, starting with Hippocampus. The aim is to map emission sources and in time reduce the climate impact of new construction.

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.

It is becoming increasing common for property owners to divide up the rent invoice into several component parts. Water, heating, electricity, TV, broadband and so on are specified – and measured – separately. Based on the customers’ wishes, AF Bostäder chose to go in the opposite direction.

AF Bostäder’s bulky waste stations have been given a new design to inspire the students to minimise their waste, increase their recycling and find satisfaction in reuse. Say hello to the Green Room!

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.

Starting in 2020, all the bathrooms at Delphi will be renovated and the piping replaced. In parallel, the accommodation and corridors will be revamped, and all the rooms will have faster broadband. All the tenants will be moved to housing with newly renovated bathrooms, so that no one has to put up with the renovation work. All corridor friends have the opportunity to move together.

In 2016, AF Bostäder decided to be 100% fossil fuel-free in terms of electricity, heating, transport and equipment by the end of 2020. A minor volume of fossil fuels is still used, but emissions have been reduced by 92%. Over the next five years, the focus will be on indirect emissions – an area in which the company has the greatest possibility to exert an influence.

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.

Area by area, AF Bostäder is replacing all its waste stations with Underground Waste Systems (UWSs). Initially, it entails a considerable investment, but there are many benefits in the long term. Waste sorting increases, waste management becomes more cost-effective and above all the students get a living environment that is clean, tidy and secure.

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 is a foundation whose purpose is to offer housing to students who are admitted and active at Lund University and also members of the Studentlund association. Being an “active student” means that the tenant is to study for at least 15 credits per semester in order to keep their accommodation or place in the queue.

In Sweden we are good at waste sorting, but only about 20% of clothing is recycled – something AF Bostäder wants to improve. Between 2015 and 2020, the students have collected 130 tons of textiles in easily accessible containers from Human Bridge.

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.

Bikes are a key element in student life and many students want their own bike parking space. In newly-built areas almost everyone has their own space under cover, and now all the other areas are being upgraded.

Most of AF Bostäder’s laundry rooms have automatic detergent dosing, which minimises the risk of using too much detergent. From 2020, all laundry rooms are also fabric conditioner-free, which further reduces the use of chemicals.

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.

During 2020, AF Bostäder changed older light sources to LEDs on facades and lampposts, and in stairwells at four housing areas. The switch means more efficient lighting, longer lamp lifetime, increased security and an energy saving of 70%.