Design and design processes

The process of developing Duved is based on generating a new relevance for the aesthetic and for design. This is done in many ways. As the image show below it is based on a participatory and inclusive process, starting in local and global needs and letting ideas from locals be processed by top creatives to generate prototypes to be tested in Duved - with a possibility to be implemented elsewhere.

The process has started through what is called "village meetings", where around 20-30% of the citizens has been participating in meetings where they have been able to come with ideas of how the village should be developed, i.e. participating in creating a vision for the future of the village. These ideas have thereafter been given to high-end creatives in order to achieve results that no-one could have foreseen.

So, at the same time as starting local small farms, generating an interest from the locals, the citizen’s wish of green-hose was given to Shigeru Ban, the Japanese architect who is also an advisor for the New European Bauhaus. His design generated, as design, a new content, where he also came with an idea for construction that has been a generating force since it allows the locals to be part of the building process.

To show that Duved is keen to handle issues of gentrification in order to develop a long- term accessible village, a house with 39 small rental apartments was built in the most central spot in the village. Built entirely in wood it is now a landmark for sustainable architecture as well as social development. In order to always be spearheading the future Duved has been based on academic collaboration. The architectural school of Umeå had a summer course in 2021 where 14 students suggested solutions for future development of communal food system, some of which as now implemented. There are around 10 different master thesis’ being written right now on the current process in Duved.

Five smaller housing units – 200 sqm – are starting to be built in 2022, where five different architects has been given five different problems to solve: construction, co-living, self- sufficiency, local production and modular production.