Knowledge Labs: Transnational Spatial Practice
Form/Design Center is Sweden’s national node for national politics for designed living environment (gestaltad livsmiljö) and an official New European Bauhaus partner. Operating as a regional and national platform for spatial culture, design, and architecture, our work bridges policy with real-world practice by developing capacity-building programs, action-oriented courses, mentorship, and study trips for active spatial professionals. Through our Knowledge Forum for Designed Living Environment, we lead key educational initiatives, including the EU-funded project Skills Upskilling for Sustainable Community Building (supported by ESF+). Our team brings together deep expertise in spatial research, educational facilitation, curation, and practice-based architecture, focusing on circular construction, strategic management of existing built environments, and systemic green transition.
Leadership, Team & Expertise
The initiative is led by Angelica Åkerman—an architect, strategist, and curator—alongside a dedicated team and an expert network spanning academia, public organizations, and the private sector. Drawing on extensive experience in teaching building transformation culture at the Royal Institute of Art (Mejan) in Stockholm, practicing architecture, and shaping national architectural policy, our team is currently building a regional infrastructure to deliver a curated catalog of knowledge for the spatial sector.
Notable Achievements & Network
We have a proven track record of creating high-impact knowledge exchanges, public programming, and exhibitions. We maintain active, long-term collaborations with key Nordic partners through 2027, including Copenhagen Architecture Forum (CAFx), Färgfabriken, and Oslo-based architecture organizations. Through LINA, we seek to expand our practice-oriented educational frameworks into a broader European context.
Spatial practice faces a critical implementation gap: while climate goals are ambitious, active practitioners often lack concrete tools and pedagogical formats to translate policy into real-world transformation. To bridge this gap, we initiated Kunskapsforum—an ESF+-funded project developing a national course catalog and capacity-building curriculum for active architects, designers, and municipal actors focused on systemic transition.
Development & Pedagogical Approach
Rather than top-down instruction, we developed an action-oriented, participatory framework centered on ecological crisis, circular material flows, and spatial justice. The curriculum combines short courses, site-specific study visits, and peer-to-peer workshops. By bringing diverse stakeholders into shared learning spaces, we break down silos and turn abstract frameworks into actionable, site-specific expertise.
Impact & Operational Testing Ground
Our impact lies in establishing a robust regional knowledge infrastructure. The initiative acts as an operational testing ground where professionals test new methodologies, exchange applied knowledge, and gain tools for immediate implementation in local spatial projects and policy contexts.
Future Evolution & European Exchange
Capacity building for the green transition cannot exist in regional isolation. As we expand our course catalog, we aim to build transnational knowledge bridges across Europe. Through LINA, we seek to open our funded framework as a shared European laboratory focused on three key pillars:
Co-Curating Curricula: Co-creating training modules, mentorship, and field trips with LINA Fellows as guest lecturers and co-curators.
Mapping Demanded Knowledge: Identifying specific tools, spatial methodologies, and systemic skills emerging practitioners across Europe urgently need.
Evolving Pedagogies: Developing new, action-oriented educational methods to advance capacity building in spatial practice.