EPA-husen

Built for the young women of EPA, the EPA-husen stand as a testament to a bygone era. These apartments at Bränningevägen in Årsta, southern Stockholm, hold a unique history. The EPA-husen are among the first gallery-access buildings in Sweden. They were commissioned in 1947 by the department store chain EPA. They were intended to provide housing for their young female employees. The buildings, designed by architect Gunnar Jacobson and Anne-Marie Delwig, were innovative for their time. The gallery-access design, inspired by German architecture, allowed access to apartments via a central staircase and exterior galleries or balconies. The EPA-husen were among the first of this type in Sweden. Each apartment, measuring a compact 24 square meters, consisted of a single room, a bathroom, and a hallway with a kitchenette and two wardrobes. French balconies adorned the south side. A live-in housekeeper oversaw the residents. In 1948, rent was a mere 35 kronor per month for single occupants and 65 kronor for shared occupancy. Utilities, including electricity, heating, and water, were included. In the 1970s, EPA merged with the Åhléns group. The property owner, Ohlsson & Skarne, was acquired by Skanska. The EPA-husen eventually stood vacant, briefly serving as refugee housing. Skanska applied for demolition permits in 1990 and 1995. These applications were rejected, partly due to the Stockholm City Museum’s objections, citing the buildings’ unique character. In the mid-1990s, the Street and Real Estate Office became interested in a self-build project for young people. In 1995, the “Framtidsloftet” (Promise of the Future) project was launched, aiming to renovate the buildings. In 1997 Riksbyggen took ownership. Volunteers aged 16 to 25 participated, shaping the renovation from start to finish. By 1998, the apartments were ready, with fully renovated facades. The participants initially chose a cooperative rental model, based on trial legislation. However, the City Planning Committee rejected their application in 1998. When the cooperative rental law was passed in 2002, Riksbyggen had become the owner. The residents’ initiative had waned. Today, the apartments are managed as traditional rentals. HSB Stockholm acquired the property in 2018. The EPA-husen are now protected under cultural heritage legislation with the highest preservation classification. They serve as a reminder of a time when companies took a direct role in employee housing, a unique aspect of Swedish social history.