Akademiska Hus invests in remodelling when Uppsala Folk High School moves to Ultuna Campus

Ekonomihuset at Campus Ultuna will be thoroughly refurbished in order to transform the nineteenth century building into a modern learning environment. The new tenant for the building will be Uppsala County Council, which in turn will house Uppsala Folk High School on two of the building’s three floors.

“We are looking forward to moving to Ekonomihuset at Ultuna,” says Anna Söderbäck, Cultural Director of Uppsala County Council. “It’s a great building with a good location, where we can initially consider changes in operations and the future development of Uppsala Folk High School.”

Akademiska Hus is investing about SEK 60 million in remodelling the 2,000 square metre building to optimally convert the premises to better suit the future tenant. When completed, the building’s energy consumption will be reduced by as much as 40 per cent. Construction is planned to begin in January 2017.

Part of the development of Green Innovation Park

Remodelling Ekonomihuset is a step in the development of Sweden’s foremost centre for green business – Green Innovation Park. Green Innovation Park is a joint initiative involving the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and Akademiska Hus to open Campus Ultuna for activities outside the university and to make the area an integral part of the city of Uppsala. A creative environment for innovation will be created here with active collaboration between the businesses and SLU researchers and students.In addition to Uppsala County Council, Lantbrukarnas Riksförbund (LRF) Mälardalen, Växa Sverige, Greensway and Fiskarhedenvillan have all recently decided to move to the area, while Aros Patent and Presto Consulting will also move in after the summer.

The development plans for the area include the potential to build over 100,000 square metres of new premises and approximately 1,500 housing units, as well as to strengthen the communications infrastructure.

“Right now we are engaged in discussions with the Municipality of Uppsala on a continued local plan for the area that includes the part of Ultuna where we are planning to build facilities for somewhat larger enterprises,” says Peter Bohman, Regional Director for Akademiska Hus Uppsala Region. “We’ve also applied for a building permit for housing in the area, so it feels like we are well on the way towards the goal of creating a new neighbourhood with the vision of a sustainable future.” 

• Rebuilding
• Campus development