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The path to attractive living

“The cornerstone of our major regeneration work has been to create comfortable and safe housing that makes our tenants feel proud of their choice of residential development. The extension and glazing of the balconies has been one of many popular measures,” explains Göte Nilsson, who was Managing Director of Burlövs Bostäder when the work was carried out.

SITUATION

“When I took over as Managing Director, we had numerous empty apartments, worn out properties and widespread vandalism. We felt it was time to take a more general approach and try to analyse the deepseated problems,” says Göte. “And so, in partnership with the board and staff, we drew up a vision for the future, which then paved the way for an action plan.”

SOLUTION

“I worked very closely with our current property and environmental manager, Ronnie Sjöberg, during that time, and to create a coherent look for the whole residential area we organised an architectural competition. We decided to prioritise measures that could increase safety and security in the area and properties, for example by upgrading the façades and entrances,” continues Göte. “We also decided to raise the standard of the apartments, not least by putting in new bathrooms and kitchens.”

BALCONIES

“But we knew that we could do more to improve the general look and standard of the area,” comments Ronnie. “That was when we started looking more closely at the existing balconies. We quickly realised that the balconies were small and used more for storing crates of drink and winter tyres than as a lovely outdoor oasis. After a couple of unsuccessful meetings with other contractors, we contacted Balco. Since then, they have helped us to extend and glaze in many of our balconies. “The fact that we also chose to extend the existing balcony floor has made the space much easier to furnish,” says Ronnie. “The new balconies have not only breathed new life into the façades. They have also given our tenants an extra room that they can enjoy from early spring until late autumn. There are many reasons why we chose Balco’s balcony system in particular. First and foremost, they are skilled and experienced suppliers, whose robust glazing systems can handle the high winds that you get hitting high-rise blocks. The choice was also helped along by the fact that their balcony system is user-friendly, sustainable and maintenance free,” states Ronnie.

END RESULT

“It is wonderful to see that our efforts have really produced the results we were looking for. We don’t have any empty apartments now. Plus we have also seen a substantial drop in vandalism and people moving away. “The reduction in vandalism is due in part to us being able to fund various types of youth activity and enjoyable events for our tenants. This has also generated greater happiness and pride about living in our properties,” conclude a satisfied Göte and Ronnie.

Göte Nilsson
former MD of Burlövs Bostäder