SUA joins MARIEVIK+ to develop the campus environment of the future
How can Campus Skellefteå continue to develop as an attractive environment for learning and innovation in a time of transition? Through its participation in Chalmers Next Labs’ MARIEVIK+ project, Skellefteå Universities Alliance (SUA) aims to explore how flexible and sustainable environments can meet the future needs of education providers, students and businesses.
The learning environments of the future must be able to change in step with new forms of education, skills needs and ways of working together. For SUA, taking part in MARIEVIK+ is about gaining knowledge and inspiration to develop Campus Skellefteå as a place where education providers and students want to establish themselves, meet and grow – in collaboration with us and the wider community.
A key question is how premises and shared spaces can be used more flexibly and create value over time. This concerns both the physical conditions for learning and innovation and how these environments foster encounters, community and collaboration.
Buildings and places that can evolve over time
MARIEVIK+ explores how circular and adaptive solutions – where resources are reused and spaces can be adapted to changing needs – can be understood, valued and put into practice. The starting point is that buildings are not merely physical structures, but also frameworks for everyday life, relationships and activities.
The project links climate performance, reuse and adaptability with social value and long-term economic sustainability. Marievik is the project’s main site for physical testing, while the work also covers other urban environments and use cases across Sweden.
Three labs combining analysis, economics and practical testing
The project’s work is carried out through three interconnected labs:
- Digital lab: Data-driven analysis, digital tools and future scenarios are used to explore how buildings and places can develop.
- Financial lab: The scenarios are analysed in terms of investment and valuation models that make long-term environmental, social and economic value visible.
- Physical prototype lab: Selected circular and adaptive solutions are tested in a real urban setting in Marievik.
For SUA, the connection between these perspectives is particularly relevant. Developing attractive campus environments requires the design of premises, users’ needs and the financial conditions to fit together. Lessons from the project can support the dialogue on how Campus Skellefteå can develop and how existing spaces can meet new needs.
Partners in MARIEVIK+ include Chalmers Next Labs, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and THRIVE REGEN IMPACT. AMF Fastigheter is the project’s central site-based partner in Marievik. In addition, a broader partner and reference group of public bodies, property organisations and suppliers is involved.
Read more about MARIEVIK+ at Chalmers Next Labs (in Swedish)
Want to know more?
If you have any questions about SUA’s role in MARIEVIK+, please get in touch with Peter Mandalh.
Peter Mandalh
CEO
