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 Stärkesmark, we held workshops with young people to listen to their hopes and dreams for the future of their village. With responsibility for the village’s biannual music festival being passed to a younger generation, and the existing outdoor stage being decommissioned, the young people requested that we build a new stage for performance, parties, and hang-outs. Our students surveyed a disused plot of land behind the byahus (village hall) and proposed a generously proportioned stage with three moveable sculptural modules. These modules can be used to frame the stage, hang decorations and lighting, or just be used to catch the sun.