No_6_1955 — Page 65

Book Review:

There has recently come to our attention a Swedish building magazine, the entire conten's of which is devoted to the many aspects of the housing situation in that country. Since this is the first English version, the editors explain their objects as follows:

*The Swedish building magazine 'Byggforum' is owned and published by SABO and Svenska Riksbyggen. SABO is the co-ordinating body for the municipal housing undertakings in Sweden and Svenska Riksbyggen fulfils the same func tion for the co-operative building societies formed by the building trade unions. Both

of these are, in principal, altruistic i.e. they are non-profit-making concerns for their work is based on the need to provide homes in accordance with the Govern- ment's housing policy. This connection between the magazine and the abovemen tioned organisation implies, of course, that in its general policy a positive line is taken in favour of non-profit-making housing undertakings.

"Mainly due to the fact that there is an obvious lack of information in foreign languages of building and the housing supply in Sweden, it has been decided to publish AN English-German edition of 'Byggforum' in the Spring and the Autumn of each year,

"The object of this magazine 'Building Forum' or 'Bau-forum' is to explain to our foreign readers what we have achieved and what we are endeavouring to do. In this first number we give the fundamentals of our present housing situation and in future ones we hope to present more specialized articles.

"We believe that an exchange of infor- mation about the ways in which different nations solve their housing problems is of great international importance.“

In this edition there are five articles, all of them of profound interest to civilized The communities throughout the world. first, "Swedish Riksbyggen". explains the Building Trade Unions' organization which is doing so much to solve the housing shortage; the second. "The housing situa tion in Sweden. Autumn 1954"; the third, "The movement of investments''; the fourth, "SABO the National association of Municipal housing undertakings"; and the fifth, "Housing policy in Sweden. The following is a summary of the first article:

SWEDISH "RIKSBYGGEN"

BUILDING FORUM

Published in Sweden

comfort аге ever modern society. For many of us who experienced the earlier crises in the em- ployment market, the annual increase m production and the resulting high level of employment have brought about must acknowledge to our pleasant surprise a high living standard at a faster pace than we had previously dared to hope.

—

We

present problems in now special drawing offices for building, static constructions, central heating, sani- tation and electricity installations. Fur- ther there is a contracts department which deals with all building contractors and exercises technical control over all build. ing. The finance department maintains contact with the State Housing Depart- ment and is responsible for all questions relating to loans and other financial mat- ters. This last named department is divided into two subsections which are respectively concerned with 1) loans and credit and 2) financing the building of Hats.

However, we must admit that the de mand for homes has increased more that anticipated and that as a result the hous ing shortage has become acuter instead of diminishing. This is in spite of the fact that since the second World War more flats have been built than during any other similar period of time.

Ever since it was formed in 1941. Svenska Riksbyggen has directed its ac tivities to being an effort to solve the housing shortage.

instrument in the

Already at a very early stage Riksbyg-

gen's board of management realized that it could not limit its activities to planning but it must exercise control over the actual building if it was to get experience of conditions in the industry. Actually, even prior to the War, there were a number of building contracting firms owned by local trade union branches and during the pre- vious decade to this several similar firms were started that worked solely on behalf of Riksbyggen. In order to co-ordinat the activities of these contracting firms. wherever it was convenient to do so, a company was registered in 1949 as Riks- Svenska Riksbyggen was founded and byggen Production Ltd. with Riksbyggen is still owned by the Building Trade and the co-operating union-owned build- Unions but the respective unions exercise ing contractors as shareholders. The main the controlling interest. The trade unions function of this company is to co-ordinate were induced to enter this new field of the buying of building supplies and to deal activity for three separate and extremely

Before I proceed to describe the achieve ments of Riksbyggen I should like to give some details about the constitution and working methods of the organisation. This is necessary as there is a public miscon ception that, due to its impressive name Riksbyggen is a state corporation.

sound reasons.

In 1941 about 40% of the building trade unions' members were unemployed. It was a matter of urgency that an effort should be made to reduce this high level of unemployment by planning housing production especially since a housing shortage had manifested itself in many places. Finally, it was in the trades union movement's own interests that. through their own organisation, they should get an insight which had hitherto been lacking

When, about 1945, the formation of housing societies became of current interest Riksbyggen undertook several of these projects in collaboration with local autho

rities.

The scope of Riksbyggen's activities widened at a much faster pace than could have ever been estimated. During 1953. fully 5.000 flats were completed and a further 7,000 were under construction at the time of writing.

Riksbyggen's tremendous expansion

has been a marked feature of recent years By Ivar Olsson

but this has increased the demands made Constitution, Functions and Objectives

On the office which has necessitated

a Work that provides a reasonable live complete re-organisation involving the lihood and a home that satisfies the con- creation of new departments and the em temporary desire contentment and ployment of extra staff. Thus there are

for

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with

credit and investment matters. Where a trade union has not formed a

building contracting company, Riksbyggen

Production will also undertake direct con-

tracting work in its locality. About 60%- 70% of Riksbyggen's building programme is undertaken by the union-owned con- tracting firms in accordance with its pro-

duction calculations.

High production costs, credit restrictions and a labour shortage all tend to compli- cate building programmes. Uncertain and hesitant attempts to rationalize any poli- tical differences between the representa- tives of so-called free enterprise on the one hand and the public utilities and co-opera- tive building societies on the other create. at times, irritation and disputes. Every- one concerned with the industry appreci- ates that its problems are not easily over- come. We must do our utmost, in the prevailing conditions, to master the acute housing shortage. To achieve this object all the best interest in the industry must co-operate and private, public and Co- operative housing organisations must work side-by-side in free competition.

Riksbyggen's policy is to work to the fullest extent of its powers and, in fair competition with other forms of housing societies, participate in the planning and erection of decent homes in accordance with the Government's housing programme.

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