Rödviksvägen : Co-housing in a rural community

Rödviksvägen Co-housing in a rural community Beatrice Malmberg South from Umeå in northern Sweden, one finds a municipality called Nordmaling. Nordmaling city, is located next to the Bothnian Sea and Nordmaling Fjärden. After gaining an understanding of this rural so- ciety in Studio 2, the bachelor project Rödviksvägen co-housing evolved. Interested in housing, I started by contacting the chairman of the mu- nicipality and a man involved in the area. I was told about the current housing issue of many rural societies, described as a catch 22 - situation, where the rural housing market is unstable, as the market value is less than the production costs of new housing. In addition, there is a lack of small apartments for young adults, lack of housing with less mainte- nance for elderly and lack of available houses for young families to buy as elderly won’t sell. Hence, also asking where housing could be built, I was introduced to this plot along Rödviksvägen in Nordmaling. The research was narrowed down to three points of departure, first being the housing market described. Secondly, the trend among young adults to live in smaller cities close to nature and thirdly, the high num- ber of single households in Sweden. From the points given, my goal has been to create a co-housing with main focus on the small household, that either lives in- or arrives to Nordmaling. Nature will also play an im- portant role, as being one of the driving forces for living in a rural envi- ronment. By looking to a variety of co-housing, Rödviksvägen came to be a co-operative tenancy association in which the work of the association themselves is key to affordability, build-up, daily maintenance and co- hesion. Thanks to this form of housing, the apartments are not sold and therefore do not change in value. Various design choices, such as a CLT construction, also allows the association to grow in the future, whilst providing central common spaces with courtyards and active corridors. Equally as important, however, is privacy provided through balconies in the thirteen apartments. Suitable for both elderly, families or young adults, this advocates a vision; a prototype of future rural housing