– a product proposal at the request of Svenska Bostäder

Overcrowding is currently a widespread problem throughout the EU. In Sweden, one sixth of the population is living in overcrowded apartments. To enhance the quality of life for their tenants, Svenska Bostäder, aims to offer a room divider as an optional addition to their rental properties.

In Sweden, especially in the larger metropolitan areas like Stockholm, overcrowded apartments are a substantial issue and almost a fourth of the apartments distributed by Svenska Bostäder are overcrowded. This overcrowding can have harmful effects on tenants’ health. Moreover, Svenska Bostäder has also realized that tenants often take to makeshift solutions to create more privacy in overcrowded apartments, unintentionally damaging the apartment’s structure. To address this, Svenska Bostäder seeks to offer a room divider as an additional feature to tenants. Thus this report aims to present a product proposal of such a product, one that can be easily moved without causing permanent damage to the apartment. Additionally, there are some aesthetic requirements as the room divider needs to suit in most apartments regardless of the tenant’s interior style.

The product proposal, developed through the iterative Design Thinking Bootleg process, focuses on meeting aesthetic as well as functional requirements. It is a space-efficient room divider, made of plywood, featuring built in storage to maximize functionality. Designed with neutrality in mind, the divider’s color choices, such as white pigmented clear varnish and a white wall mounting bracket, ensure it integrates well into various home styles. This is important as the product has been designed to cater to a broad group of intended users.

Utilizing CNC manufacturing for all components considerably facilitates the production process compared to manual methods, ensuring efficiency while maintaining quality. This proposal aims to address the overcrowding in apartments while offering a versitale and aesthetically pleasing solution to tenants.