Rural Futures: Design-Build in Northern Sweden

In May 2023, Umeå School of Architecture and Vännäs municipality established a collaboration based on their common interest in developing the rural inland of Västerbotten County. The village associations of two villages, Brån and Stärkesmark, joined the project in 2024.

This course, which will run again in summer 2026, was made possible thanks to the support of the European Union Leader fund, and Leader Idériket Umeregionen. Leader is a local development method to engage local actors in the design and delivery of strategies, decision-making, and resource allocation for the development of their rural areas.

In Brån, we held workshops with children to listen to their hopes and dreams for the future of their village. They decided that we should design and build a mini-arena on the small patch of open ground between the byahus (village hall) and a busy 50km/h road. Our students worked within tight constraints to build a mini-arena that provides a safe and welcoming play space for children and a social meeting point for everyone outside the village hall.