Client projects: Psychiatry’s quarters

Sustainable circularity and reuse in focus

Psychiatry’s quarters is a major investment in bringing together psychiatric care in one clinic at Södra Älvsborg Hospital, southwest Sweden. It’s also a significant investment in using recycled furniture to create a sustainable circular flow. “Interior design is an important element of healthcare, and we’re pleasantly surprised by how good recycled furniture can be when the solution is well thought-out and well planned,” says project manager Pernilla Jansson.

Psychiatry’s quarters in Borås consists of a new star-shaped building and a renovated older building linked together by a newly built main entrance. The purpose of the project has been to bring all psychiatric care in the catchment area together in one place and create more fit-for-purpose spaces for both patients and staff. “We don’t want our clinic to feel like a closed institutional facility – we want it to feel welcoming and supportive of the patient’s independence, freedom and self-reliance, while also feeling peaceful, safe and secure for everyone moving around the building,” says Pernilla Jansson. What also makes the project special is that about three-quarters of the items of furniture in the older building have been reused, with many of them being refurbished, refreshed and customised by Kinnarps.

At the beginning of the project, the existing interior design was inventoried to see what of the old furniture suited White Architects’ interior design concepts and could be renovated and brought up to date. Kinnarps updated and renewed 600 of about 900 items of furniture in total.

"The demand for sustainable solutions and reuse is growing, and we have good systems that can handle extensive and complex projects. There are only winners in this, not least the environment," says Peter Göransson, Kinnarps Borås. But just because something’s circular doesn’t automatically mean that it’s sustainable. First, a professional assessment must be made to ensure that products that are not sustainable or suitable are removed.

Another important factor in a truly sustainable circular flow is that the furniture is made in a sustainable way from the outset, using environmentally friendly and high-quality materials. The fact that a large proportion of the furniture that was reused had originally been made in Sweden by Kinnarps simplified the process and helped to maintain the circular flow in the project. In Kinnarps’ factory in Skillingaryd in Sweden, seats and backrests were provided with new sustainability-certified fabrics/artificial leather, and the underframes were spray or powder coated. The furniture was then transported back to Borås city in Kinnarps’ distinctive way, wrapped in reusable blankets instead of single-use packaging and transported in Kinnarps’ own trucks running on fossil-free fuel.

"We were first told that there wasn't much furniture to reuse, but when we went out and looked, we saw great potential. And that’s often the case. It’s almost always possible to reuse more than you think without compromising on function or appearance. Our design knowledge is important for the end result," says Susanna von Eyben from White Architects.

Pernilla Jansson is also more than satisfied and convinced that reuse will become increasingly common in Region Västra Götaland and at Södra Älvsborg Hospital.

“Sustainability arguments are compelling. The environmental and economic aspects are obvious, but there are social aspects too. Everyone working here can take pride in our efficient use of resources, and since we’re a taxpayer-funded operation, reuse also creates legitimacy for us in the local community,” she says.