NEWS Akademiska Hus is investing approximately SEK 200 million in a major redevelopment of Universum and the campus. The aim is to create a meeting place that brings together academia, students, business and society. In connection with the redevelopment, Universum will remain closed for two years.
Universum was inaugurated in 1970 and is one of the campus’s most central buildings. Over the years, it has served as a natural meeting place for both students and residents of Umeå. The building will now be redeveloped to meet new needs and be used in more ways than today. The aim is to create an open, welcoming and vibrant meeting place where people choose to stay longer.
The activities currently located in Universum will relocate to temporary premises on campus. Among others, the student pub E‑puben will move to the Department of Physiology building, while other activities have been assigned temporary locations. The redevelopment is being carried out in close dialogue with Umeå University and is aligned with both the university’s campus development plan and the municipality’s urban development programme for Universitetsstaden.
“Universum plays a central role as the heart of the campus, and this investment by Akademiska Hus will strengthen the building as an open and inclusive meeting place for students, staff and the wider community. It is also an important step in developing the campus as a living part of Universitetsstaden Umeå, with the aim of further integrating the campus into the urban environment and making it Umeå’s ‘second city centre’,”
says Patrik Danielson, Pro‑Vice‑Chancellor at Umeå University.
Once the project is completed, Universum will offer more study spaces, new group rooms and expanded conference and meeting facilities. The building will also include an enhanced event area and a stronger range of services, with new activities.
When the new Universum is completed, several existing activities will remain, including a lunch restaurant, a student pub and a hairdresser. Umeå University’s Infocenter will also continue to be located in the building, together with the ITS Servicedesk and the Student Centre. Akademiska Hus’s co‑working environment, A Working Lab, is also included and currently brings together growing companies, innovation organisations and other actors in areas such as game development.
The western entrance will be given a new design as the entrances to Universum and Aula Nordica are merged into a single main entrance. Photo: White Arkitekter
Image[Fotograf saknas]In parallel with the redevelopment of Universum, Akademiska Hus is also developing the adjacent Universum Park. The investment in the park amounts to approximately SEK 35 million and aims to create a green, safe and welcoming outdoor environment around Universum.
The park will offer more spaces for outdoor study, work and meetings, and help increase activity on campus throughout more hours of the day. As part of the project, a new entrance square for pedestrian and cycle traffic will also be created.