Already when Åsa Melvanius started as head of digital at Lund Municipality in autumn 2018, she dreamed of creating a place to meet and develop ideas across administrative boundaries. Åsa noticed that an environment was missing where colleagues could work intensively together for shorter or longer periods of time. By the spring of 2019 she had received a more positive response to renovating the premises on the ground floor of the then empty Stadshuset. By making a simplified renovation and re-using furniture and other furnishings, the costs were successfully cut to about a third of the initial offer.

– We have chosen not to rip down entire walls, to repaint tiles and kitchen cabinets, and that all furniture is repurposed or bought second hand. Two students from IKDC were given a summer job to paint and decorate, and staff from Konsthallen also helped to hang paintings, says Åsa Melvanius.

Now there is a lounge to have lunch or just hang out in, many group rooms to book for shorter or longer periods, a tv studio, a work space and a section with rooms suitable for workshops and meetings. The meeting rooms face toward Lundagård and have been named after former activities in the building such as the library, the magazine, the banker, the exchange or the tourist. Whereas the group rooms are named after interesting places in tv series and films – Batcave, Monk’s café, MacLaren’s pub and Winterfell to name a few. Stadshuset has an inclusive environment and visitors should feel like co-creators through the whiteboard wallpaper and moveable furniture. The meeting area also includes session halls, which can be used by others even when the politicians do not have meetings.

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On the 2nd October Studio Stadshuset was inaugurated. So that as many municipal employees as possible had the chance to see the new premises, two guided tours were given each day during the opening week. The same week was also the kick-off to business activities with an innovation week. During the opening week, several different groups worked with a number of tasks – such as creating a cleaning service via a housing platform, a chatbot for citizen service, an automation of induction for new employees, the internal loppis service Plocket, and developing the volunteer services that were started during the coronavirus pandemic. An innovation week will be a recurring feature during all weeks ending with the number 0.

– We have had a tendency to first think and then do, explains Åsa Melvanius. Here we want to create opportunity to do, then think and then do again. We want to increase the speed of business development and can provide methodological support through Peter Dovrén and Christian Lie but also perhaps through other actors.

Why is it important to have Studio Stadshuset?

– To be able to afford the provision of welfare in the future we need to deliver welfare services in new ways, and we must get up to speed so that we can cope, explains Åsa Melvanius. The idea is to create an environment where we practice new agile working methods and quickly discover new solutions and prototypes. Studio Stadshuset is a place where innovations and collaboration are encouraged and where we can meet across organizational boundaries.

The goal has already been formulated: Studio Stadshuset will become a meeting place for all employees and partners that want to develop Lund Municipality. A place where innovation is born, contacts are made, and citizen benefits are realized.

Bookings are made through studiostadshuset@lund.se

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Translation: Ben Dohrmann

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