Lund(on) Times

lauantai 27. kesäkuuta 2015

AFB Student Accommodation Reviews: Living in Lund

Below you can find links to reviews of AFB's student accommodation offerings in Lund. All contain interviews with former or current residents, weighted pros and cons of each complex, and all apart from one have pictures from within the rooms themselves. Three buildings are not featured in this series (Bokompakt, Klosterängen and Magasinet) but since I was unable to get in touch with anyone living in them, we can conclude they are not worth the consideration probably...

Parentesen

Dammhagen

Studentlyckan

Tomegapsgården

Delphi

Sparta

Kämnärsrätten

Ulrikedal

Vildanden

Gylleholm

This blog is not affiliated with AF Bostäder. You can find their homepage, along with official information of each student accommodation complex here.

Living in Lund: Vildanden

N.B: This entry is a part of a series of student accommodation reviews directed at new students looking for apartments in Lund. Lund(on) Times is not affiliated with AF Bostäder, LU Accommodation or any other apartment rental service. More visual material may be added in the future. Click on the photos to enlarge them.

Pros	Cons
+ Close to central station, Nova Lund shopping center	- Far from campus, nations (location on map)
+ Large social spaces & kitchens	- Unpredictable layout
+ Own bathroom & shower	- Can be expensive (~4,000SEK per month)
+ Good social atmosphere, quiet and peaceful too	- Shared kitchen

Click here for AFB's information on Vildanden

Most of Lund is located on one side of the train station (the east side). Everything that happens in Lund, happens in the East. Just like in ancient Egypt, where the people lived only on the eastern side of the Nile. Much like ancient Egypt, the western side of town represents nothing but wasteland and death to most people. However, a single AFB complex resides on that side. A rather large one too, rivaling Delphi in the quantity of apartments.

Figure 50. Deborah's room seems far narrower than other AFB rooms.

Deborah and Tivea both moved into Vildanden at the beginning of last fall. While the distance is the most annoying thing for them, they appreciate some of the basic offerings of Vildanden flats that might be harder to secure in town.

"We have a smaller kitchen for 12 people, two stoves and two sinks," Tivea explains how his corridor is structured. "In my place it depends on each corridor regarding design, its easy to go around the kitchen but in other corridors the design is narrower so moving around is hard. Other corridors have it harder than me though.”

“I noticed it was close to the central station and I wanted to be near that," Deborah explains her decision. "I also applied to Sparta and Delphi, I applied for ones with showers and bathrooms, that was my only priority.”

Figure 51. The long and narrow shape still allows for modest decorating. Deborah mostly wishes she had more storage space.

When considering the distance to the town center, one would imagine all the services to be far away too. That is not the case though, and in fact many stores unavailable in the middle of town can be found in Nova Lund.

“I like living here because its near to this smaller grocery store, one minute away. If you want more stuff, you can always go to a larger supermarket in Nova Lund which is 5 mins away," Tivea says.

“I really love it. Its really chilled atmosphere, so its not dead," Deborah says happily. "We are close to the central station. You have Nova Lund, supermarkets, Systembolaget which closes later than the one in town. There is also a pharmacy, and many other things. Blekingska nation is really close, which is a nation good for chilling if not partying.”

Figure 52. The windows here are definitely smaller than elsewhere. Saving energy seems to be on the agenda here in the cold west.

Both Tivea and Deborah express the price being the worst thing. Deborah also brings up the distance to the other nations in town as a major issue.

“Its not far by bus, but by bike is a bit frustrating," Tivea specifies, when asked how he manages the distances.

Well, we can't always have anything. At least it is quiet and a calm area, away from all the hustle of Delphi and Parentesen.

Figure 53. & 54. A spacious entrance, and a well laid out bathroom. The bathroom entrance is on the left when walking into the room

“I like the quietness, but its alive. The location all in all is good. Its never too loud here either.” Deborah goes on to say, taking back her judgement on the location a bit.

“I hardly hear anything," Tivea agrees.

In many ways, Vildanden is a kind of Delphi light edition. It is smaller, even more secluded, has slightly less frequent parties, and is very silent. If one can bear being far away from everybody else, Vildanden is a great place to live and do your own thing at.

torstai 25. kesäkuuta 2015

Living in Lund: Ulrikedal

Pros	Cons
+ Affordable, places open up fast (~3,100SEK per month)	- Shared showers & kitchens
+ Close to town, nations (location on map)	- Far from larger supermarkets
+ Green area & parks close by; smaller corridors, less crowded	- More secluded atmosphere, not as social as other corridors
+ Study room in the basement	- Windows facing awkward directions

Click here for AFB's information on Ulrikedal

Ulrikedal is the largest accommodation complex in the southern Lund AFB cluster. Looking a lot like Vildanden or Delphi, it features mostly corridors with a few apartments sprinkled here and there. There is more variation among these corridors though, as long time resident Linnea reports. She used to live in the area for a year before moving out for her second year, but circumstances had her return for her final year of her bachelor's degree.

Figure 46. Linnea's room is well light if nothing else. It is also one of her favorite features of the room.

"I really don’t know why I actually picked this one, because it didn’t have any furniture, it was really spontaneous," Linnea curses her impulsiveness. "My queue position was bad. I do not know how long I will be spending in Lund now. At least I didn’t have to buy any new kitchen stuff.”

Her previous Ulrikedal corridor boasted 13 residents. The current one is a mere six people, most of them older students focused on their studies. Apparently this corridor stays cleaner for that reason too.

Figure 47. The exact amount of square meters was unavailable. An educated guess would put the room at around 19 though.

“I think you have to be really lucky, some corridors feel like a family," Linnea says about corridor life in general. "Everyone knows each other, someone was always in the kitchen, it might be dirtier but its fun. Its nice if you don’t wanna be lonely, it’s a good way to start out in Lund.”

As Linnea is planning to move out of Lund, her space requierments are not that particular. Yet, she feels her room looks like her own and is happy for what she has done

"It is spacious enough. The interior works well, I would decorate more if I had more money too. However its not all perfect. The windows are creepy, you can see into your neighbors apartments and kitchens. Then there is the staircase right opposite me, a lot of people come and potentially see into my room.”

Figure 48. The creepy windows.

Certainly this is one of a handful of places where this can occur, but seeing as the AFB lottery does not have a separate choice for creepy windows, this is a bit discouraging. What about the communal spaces then?

“The kitchen is big enough for everyone. However we only have one stove and sink, so it is very hard even if there is more than one person in the kitchen at once," Linnea explains the slight inconveniences of the corridor. "We have a tv space there too, but no one is ever there really. It’s a bit boring. People seem to come for the 6 person corridors for a bit more peace and quiet maybe. We have a mix of people here too, one international student and some masters students too”

Figure 49. Like Parentesen, you only get your own bathroom in most Ulrikedal corridor rooms

Being in southern Lund, there are the few smaller grocery stores from the more expensive end of the spectrum nearby. Services are hard to come by, and the campus is far away. Still, the social atmosphere seems to be on point, for both an active student life and a more study oriented one. The price is not bad either, so if corridors are your way to go, Ulrikedal is certainly a place to consider. Even if the far superior Parentesen is right around the corner...

Living in Lund: Kämnärsrätten studio apartment

Pros	Cons
+ Close to northern campus, large supermarkets	- Far from town, nations
+ Good transportation connections	- Expensive (~4,000 SEK per month)
+ Quiet and peaceful	- Limited social interaction
+ Own kitchen, bathroom & shower	- Kitchen and bathroom are tiny

Click here for AFB's information on Kämnärsrätten (apartment exterior featured in 3rd pic on reel)

Among the notorious party corridors one might think there is little refuge from all the noise and commotion. The northern part of town is infamous mainly thanks to Delphi. Over 1000 student apartments just seem to attract that level of good times. However right next door in Kämnärsrätten, one of the studio and duplex apartment complexes, people live in relative peace and quiet. Meri certainly does. She was specifically looking for absolute silence to achieve a perfect study atmosphere.

Figure 40. The studio room has a bedroom/dining hall/living room space sectioned off from the kitchen

“This was my first choice [for an apartment], since I didn’t want to live in a corridor,” Meri recalls her selection process before arriving to Lund. “And this was excellent because I got to bring my own furniture. I didn’t want someone’s cast overs. Most of these flats are probably unfurnished, but it is really easy to get your stuff cheaply here with so many people coming and going.”

Having previously lived in London, Meri has reasons beyond studying to get away from the noise.

Figure 41. The space is surprisingly large compared to corridor rooms with larger bathrooms

“I like the fact that I have my own space and that there are no parties here. I’ve never had problems with noise, which is so nice after living in London. The only thing that is really tiny is the kitchen, but that is okay for just me. When there is a friend over however, it is not so good.”

Seclusion in Kämnärsrätten is at the very maximum. Interaction among people is minimal, and there is little going on with community activities in the area. This is the least of Meri's worries though.

Figure 42. The storage space is plentiful too

“I've said hello to some neighbors, but I do not know any of them," she describes her relationship with the people living in the same courtyard. "Most of my friends live just down the street anyway so it doesn’t matter. In the beginning it bothered me when people didn’t even say hello, but now it doesn’t anymore.”

The loneliness can be alleviated with having guests over too. With 21m² out of which very little is left for the kitchen and bathroom, there is some spare floor space to crash on. Not that the space is created for hosting anyone for extended periods, but apparently with a pullout couch that is achievable to some degree.

Figure 43. The front door is three steps from the bed.

“For a couple of days the space is good for guests. My sister was here for 11, and after that you couldn’t see the floor. The really annoying thing about that was not having a bike for her.”

Location wise, the northern part of the town is in terms of services and mass transportation probably the best part of town to live in. Being a biking town the place is accessible even on foot if one is determined.

“I have a bike, so its really quick to get to uni, and there is a bus too," Meri discusses her favorite mode of transportation. "Going out is a bit awkward because its so far uphill. But honestly nothing is far away in Lund.”

Figure 44. The bathroom is so cramped it was impossible to get a good camera shot from in there.

Beyond this, the location is beautiful for outdoor activities too.

“There are a lot of nice places to go jogging here," Meri explains. "Lots of nice parks close by. The Delphi gym would be there too, but I do not go there. Probably in the summer the grill area could be nice, and I think people do use that. Its really nice and quiet in these courtyards too.”

Figure 45. The kitchen counter space is not a strong selling point either...

For the purposes of focusing on one's studies and taking it easy, Kämnärsrätten studio apartments have served their purpose above and beyond. If you are really looking for this level of silence, this place is made for you. All of these things considered, Meri struggled to name anything that was bad about her home.

“There is nothing that bad. The floor is ugly, but I can live with that. I guess that it’s a bit far away too, but that is relative.”

Living in Lund: Sparta

Pros	Cons
+ Close to campus (engineering and economics), supermarket, nations	- Far from town center (location on )
+ Spaces open up quickly, affordable (~3,000 SEK per month)	- Crowded
+ Quiet and peaceful, yet active student life	- Ugly exterior, small green areas
+ Own bathroom and shower (21m² rooms)	- Shared kitchen

Click here for AFB's information on Sparta.

Lund's student corridors come in many shapes and sizes. Sparta is definitely one that stands out in the lot though. Not due to exciting contemporary architecture, but more rather the Soviet style nuclear bunker feel that is apparent in the entire structure. Sparta is connected to a hotel and conference center, with an exceptionally cheap grocery store and gym on the property too. So with the amount of ugly and convenience the first impression is around +/-0 for anyone. We are going to need two informed opinions again to help get through this one.

Alfonso moved into Sparta at the beginning of the spring semester, about four months after [name omitted].

Figure 36. Alfonso's short term apartment is furnished with AFB's standard furniture offering.

"When the AFB queue opened, I woke up early to sign up, so I got a good queue place," [name withheld] says. after explaining how her non-AFB apartment hunt had gone bad fast. "I wanted my own bathroom, apart from that I didn’t mind too much. I got a place quickly. Sparta was something I was really happy with in terms of the location and price. The room is spacious and I had furniture here to begin with. Everything was clean too. I was a bit unsure, about the kitchen and how its gonna be with sharing people. I lived in an exchange residence before, and the kitchen was so bad I didn’t use it at all. But here everything turned out so nice. The kitchen is spacious and the living room is functional.”

Figure 37. Sparta might look cramped on the outside, but probably features the most storage space out of all the corridors

“My process started before I came to Sweden," Alfonso recalls. After going through the previous semester without a place in town, he was not too picky when options opened up. "I was on the list for a long time. My criteria was just the price, I didn’t mind about the house or the distances. Once I got to Lund, I figured it wouldn’t matter. I was pleasantly surprised about the space and furniture. Lots of closet space too, that is important. I have my own bathroom too, that is a large plus. In terms of the common rooms, the kitchen is in great state.”

The overall structure of Sparta is less open than other AFB complexes. All of Sparta is one building, without much open space where sound could carry across. Both [deleted] and Alfonso attest to the silence of the area.

Figure 38. The large and old windows were told to have upped the rooms' chill factor during winter

"My corridor is quiet and the surroundings are quiet. The good thing is that its mostly pre-parties here," [retracted] says when asked about how loud it gets at its worst.

”I think it’s a consequence of the small space, so its really well contained," Alfonso speculates regarding the building itself. Sparta has quite many people living in it in a relatively small space.

As per the small space, there are very few sitting areas outside. The tiny green areas are sheltered from the sun too, and not particularly nice when considering all of Lund to be a lush living town full of parks.

Figure 39. Even though Sparta is old, it has been refurbished and stands up to modern standards really well.

“There are some green areas between the buildings for sitting," [Guy Incognito] describes the area. "It's not that big though. The botanical gardens are better for sitting and chilling.”

In the face of slight shortcomings, Sparta still holds its own among the student houses of Lund. Peace and quiet, coupled with convenience is this complex's selling point. It is not picturesque by any standard, but you're a two minute walk away from prettier territory. So if you are not fussed, Sparta will prove to be a great place to live. As Alfonso put it: "It all just works. Not much to complain about.”

Living in Lund: Delphi

Pros	Cons
+ Close to northern campus, larger supermarkets, good transportation connections	- Far from town, nations (location on map)
+ Spaces open up quickly	- Crowded, corridors up to 20 people
+ Own bathroom & shower, social space, large green areas outside	- Shared kitchen
+ Affordable (~3,400 SEK per month)	- Might be noisy, overwhelming

Click here for AFB's information on Delphi

Delphi is the second largest student accommodation area in the town. It is essentially a small park surrounded by several buildings, amounting to over 1000 available rooms for hire. People on all levels of their studies live here. The general commotion and action reflect this perfectly. For this reason, we will be discussing Delphi with two former residents.

Mieke moved into Delphi two years ago at the beginning of her studies. She has now graduated and values her corridor as an integral part of her time in Lund.

"I just took the first room I got. The Delphi rooms were high up in my queue and I checked that Delphi is really close to the economics buildings, so I figured this would be fine," Mieke explains her decision. The benefits of the place opened up to her over the first few weeks of living there.

Figure 32. The corner of Mieke's 19m² (not including bathroom) bedroom

“We have a gym, and a pizza place, and the cheap supermarkets close by. Everything is within 100m. The buses come here really well, one line goes directly into town. It’s a bit harder if you are in town but if you're doing economics, are in the engineering school or studying medicine you are pretty well off," Mieke lists the most obvious benefits of the area.

Stefania moved in for six months last semester, when a place opened up for a short term sublet.

“I wanted a corridor room, because it is high quality, and i have my own bathroom with shower. Just sharing the kitchen is fine," she elaborates on her criteria. She has particularly enjoyed the party atmosphere.

Figure 33. These windows catch the evening sun. Like their balcony.

“Parties are close. There is something every week. Since its such a big corridor, I've met so many people outside the corridor too. So far I've always lived in a shared apartment, this is the first time since moving out of my parents place when I've had this kind of experience.”

Delphi is one of the most notorious party places in all of Lund. Due to the sheer amount of people living there, odds are that there is a party on every night of every week. However, Mieke and Stefania have no complaints about noise at all.

“I sleep through all the parties," Mieke says when asked about the noise. "I know one of my corridor mates had to go downstairs once to tell people to shut up, but I have never had a problem. If there is a worst time for that its when its warm outside."

“The noise is not an issue at all. I've never heard parties in the building or outside. The rooms are nice and secluded when you need your privacy," Stefania says.

Figure 34. & 35. Entrance to room and the bathroom, which is off to the left in the photo on the right.

Continuing on the list of great things, the rooms also rank high on Mieke's list.

“The space in my room has worked really well for me. I had to get my own furniture to begin with, so I got to do everything my way. I would have taken a single room if I could have, but I think I would have regretted not taking a corridor room later. I definitely recommend a corridor, I love my corridor," Mieke says. She has high praise for the communal spaces too.

“The kitchen space works well in general. But if there is one complaint, the evenings can get really crowded when everyone is cooking dinner, but that isn’t always the case. Fridge space is another issue of course. The social space with the living room is really good," Mieke describes the communal areas.

“Sometimes finding cutlery is hard, many people take them into their rooms. Otherwise my corridor is nice and clean, we have a good plan for that," Stefania tells about her corridor sharing experiences. "I like it because the corridor is a good mix of locals and others. The social life is really good."

Considering all of this, Delphi is probably the most effective bang for your buck. You get an affordable room in one of the most social places in Lund, yet you have your own space whenever you need it. You will end up saving a lot on food when shopping in the larger supermarkets near by. Most importantly, you will have a chance to meet a lot of cool people and really enjoy your time in this carnival known as Lund University.

Living in Lund: Tomegapsgården

Pros	Cons
+ Dead center of town, close to nations (location on map)	- Layout unpredictable and strange, no social space
+ Own bathroom, shower and kitchen	- Expensive (~5,000 SEK per month)
+ Private green area	- Far from larger super markets
+ Chance to experience some corridor life too	- For sale; future uncertain

Click here for AFB's information on Tomegapsgården

Lund’s student housing has a history that stretches far back into the past. It’s hard to pin point a definite year the first student accommodation building was constructed, as many borderline ancient buildings have been refurbished again and again. Though if we look at the contemporary era, and specifically at buildings built for the purpose of housing students for the duration of their studies, Tomegapsgården is the oldest one in AFB’s selection by almost 10 years.

Figure 27. The kitchenette

Tomegapsgården is also the AFB building closest to Lund’s center. It is advertised as having good access to town services. A feature Oscar, a long time Tomegapsgården resident appreciates.

“I am biking distance from everything here. Downtown and the school of engineering are close,” Oscar mentions as his favorite aspect of the apartment. “On the other hand living so central can be bad. Take the structure: the walls are not symmetrical and the space is poorly used. That makes decorating kind of difficult.”

Oscar’s room should technically have plenty of space, yet for the glaring design flaws most of that floor space is lost.

"This apartment is supposed to be 30m², but the bathroom I have is huge. Its probably 8m² of the entire thing."

Figure 28. The wall that is askew to the rest of the room.

Looking around the room, the design inconsistencies are quiet apparent. The western wall is not parallel to the eastern one and the shape of the space hogging bath room is weird as it is. Its as if the architect wasn't quite sure what they were getting into with this.

"It might have been a test apartment to begin with, not like they knew how to do this stuff 60 years ago," Oscar speculates and describes the corridor rooms down stairs: "One of them doesn’t have the kitchen in the same corridor, they have to go out the door and go through a locked door to get into their kitchen. They didn’t even have a living room space on that side of the hall. The amount of people varies too, some have 7 some have 4. Very small ones."

Figure 29. These windows point towards Kalmar nation. Oscar says that the noise never made him loose sleep.

Amidst all the weirdness, Oscar has managed to make a home of it all. The one space that is not quite up to par is the kitchenette.

“For one person the kitchen in great. You can make basic stuff here, it’s got an oven and stove. But there is not much storage space. Only two shelves so that limits your dinnerware. It’s okay though, if you don’t have too much demand for it. Its hard to eat in here without a dinner table but the space works fine for pre-parties. Because we are so close to the nations, going out is never a problem from here.”

Figure 30. Entrance and door to bathroom.

The bad layout is made up for by the aforementioned geographical perks.

“I go to one of the grocery stores at the central station, it’s the cheapest one in town. Its also close to AF Borget. There's a bike shop close by too and it's biking distance to everything. We have a gym close by too,” Oscar recounts the closest services. However, the most important student amenity is missing: cheap food.

"That’s one thing that is quite bad: there are no large supermarkets close by. AFB says this is the best place for all the services, but I don’t know what that means. Its not super close to anything."

Figure 31. The eight square meters of bathroom is almost impossible to utilize efficiently.

As a final oddly colored cherry on top of this sundae of obscurity, the future of the building is uncertain as of now. The residents have all received a letter stipulating that the building is for sale. However, information about this is not available at all.

“We haven’t got any new info about the sale of this place. So far we’ve only got the letter. It probably will take a long time to sell this place anyway, and even then according to law they cannot kick us out," Oscar says, not being too worried about the situation. He is not himself sure if he wants to keep living here for long. Quite different from other people living in apartments, he is would be curious to try the corridor life properly.

“I would wanna try living in one of the Tomegapsgården corridors. They seem to have a nice community here."