From 19 to 23 October, the delegation travelled through Malmö, Lund and Stockholm to see first-hand how Sweden’s real estate sector innovates, on a mission organised with ACCIÓ.
Around twenty members of the Clúster de Serveis Immobiliaris de Catalunya (CSIM), the Catalan real estate services cluster, took part this week in a benchmarking mission to Sweden organised together with ACCIÓ (Catalonia Trade & Investment). Over five days, the delegation visited public bodies, developers, property management companies and technology firms in three cities, with the aim of learning from some of Europe’s most advanced real estate and proptech ecosystems.
Malmö: sustainability as part of the business
The mission began in Malmö with a welcome seminar at Region Skåne, hosted by Invest in Skåne and PropTech Sweden. Topics included reducing embodied carbon in construction, with the collaborative LFM30 network as an example, and technology solutions for the sector such as Aquachek, Ecodrop and Open Point, focused on water management, consumption and digital twins of buildings.
The day continued with a sustainable development tour with Wihlborgs Fastigheter, where sustainability is built into investment decisions, and a visit to Varvsstaden, the former Kockums shipyard, an example of material reuse and the rehabilitation of historic buildings.
Lund: testing small before scaling
The second day took the delegation to Lund, a university and innovation city. After stopping at BRICKS, the group learned at EnergyNet and CoAction Lund about a pilot in which several buildings share solar energy and batteries, cutting the electricity bought from the grid by up to 60%. At Science Village, Vectura Fastigheter explained its long-term ownership model for bringing researchers and companies closer together, and HSB Skåne presented Living Lab Lund, a building that will combine rental and cooperative ownership and plans to test reused materials and greywater recycling.
Stockholm: management, technology and people
In Stockholm, the visits to Odevo and Nabo were among the mission’s key moments. Odevo presented a model that combines local brands and teams with shared technology and services, while Nabo showed how a single platform, standardised processes and artificial intelligence make it possible to manage more communities without growing the team. Both agreed that technology does not replace proximity management but frees up time to do it better.
The delegation also visited Wood City, Atrium Ljungberg’s timber-built district, and spent the final morning with Stockholm Business Region and Vasakronan, who shared their vision of the region and of innovation in day-to-day building management. It then visited Hydda and a 3D visualisation company before returning to Barcelona.
A trip to bring ideas home
Beyond the visits, the mission gave members a close look at how other markets work, organise themselves and innovate, and sent them back to Catalonia with ideas they can adapt to their own business. CSIM thanks ACCIÓ for its collaboration and all the Swedish companies and organisations that opened their doors to the delegation.