@misc{9230406,
  abstract     = {{Society is facing significant demographic changes, including declining birth rates and an increasing elderly population, which have direct implications for municipal facility planning. These shifts are expected to result in a growing surplus of preschool and over time also school buildings. At the same time housing shortages remain in many urban areas and there is an increasing demand of elderly care facilities. Reusing existing buildings is theoretically advantageous due to reduced environmental impact and lower investment costs compared to demolition and new construction.

This study aims to identify and analyse the opportunities and constraints affecting conversion of preschools and schools into housing in Sweden. The study focuses on how building design and technical characteristics interact with economic, legal, and organisational conditions. A qualitative methodology was applied, combining a document analysis with semi-structured interviews with stakeholders involved in municipal facility management and conversion projects. The data were analysed using thematic analysis.

The findings show that conversion of preschools and schools are limited and shaped by a complex interaction of technical, economic, legal and organisational factors. In practice such projects rarely appear as a competitive alternative to new construction. Key barriers include technical constraints, financial uncertainty, administrative processes and municipal land strategies. 

The study concludes that conversion represents a selective rather than general strategy to face these problems, highlighting the importance of incorporating flexibility in the design of future buildings to better accommodate changing societal needs.}},
  author       = {{Jönsson, Elin}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Möjligheter och begränsningar vid omvandling av förskolor och skolor till bostäder i Sverige}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}