Växtvärket

What Växtvärket does

Växtvärket Malmö Ideell Förening is a Swedish non-profit association founded in 2014 and headquartered at Augustenborgstorget 1 in Malmö, with additional operations in Sofielund and a forthcoming site in Södertälje. It functions as a hybrid social enterprise, operating simultaneously as an association with members and volunteers and as a commercial service provider delivering co-creative place development, child participation methodology, build-play and cultivation programming, and events/workshops. Its proprietary technology is the Dialog Methodology built on five principles (Energy, Prestigelöshet, Inspiration, Lyhördhet, Tydlighet) and the open Gatulabba method bank, both refined across 15 years of practice and applied through flagship sites Guldängen (Sweden's only build-play site with cultivation, opened 2017) and Naturmolnet (a 750 m² neighborhood garden in Sofielund developed through the Case Sofielund 2030 project).

The organization serves four primary customer segments: municipalities and public-sector bodies (Malmö Stad, Södertälje Kommun), property developers and owners (MKB, Nordr, Castellum, Skanska), schools/preschools/after-school care programs, and families participating via an annual membership (50 SEK for ages 4–17, 100 SEK for adults). Revenue is assembled from multiple streams: project grants from public funders such as Allmänna Arvsfonden (Gatulabba, Gatulabba 2.0, Bygglek Underland), Region Skåne Miljövårdsfond (Blågröna gator och gårdar, Resande Verkstad), and Nordic Kulturkontakt (TAN network); fee-based consulting and training engagements; school visit fees for non-Malmö municipalities; and membership subscriptions. Go-to-market is sales-led, relying on direct outreach, flagship-site demonstration, the open Gatulabba method bank as an inbound funnel, conference participation, and earned media (including SVT coverage).

Växtvärket has expanded from a single Malmö base to national and Baltic-level delivery through partnerships with ArkDes (Street Moves), SLU and LTH (Gatulabba 2045), and the TAN network with Architektų fondas (Lithuania) and AIM (Denmark), and is preparing to open Bygglek Underland in Södertälje in summer 2026 with Allmänna Arvsfonden funding. The entity is privately held as an Ideell Förening with no parent company and no public revenue disclosure.

Name

Växtvärket

Legal name

Växtvärket Malmö Ideell Förening

Website

https://vaxtvarket.se

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Växtvärket is a Malmö-based Swedish non-profit association that delivers child-inclusive urban planning and co-creative place development for municipalities, property developers, schools, and member families, combining landscape architecture, outdoor pedagogy, and a codified Dialog Methodology deployed at flagship build-play and community garden sites.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Participatory Urban Planning and Place Development Services

NAICS

Landscape Architectural Services (54132), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Development & Neighborhood Revitalization (CDBG, Place-Based Initiatives) (BPAIANAE)

Keywords

• Participatory urban planning
• Child-inclusive design
• Landscape architecture services
• Outdoor education programs
• Community place development

Headquarters

HQ city

Malmö

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Project Grants and Public Funding: Växtvärket receives project funding from public bodies including Allmänna Arvsfonden (Gatulabba, Gatulabba 2.0, Bygglek Underland), Region Skåne Miljövårdsfond (Blågröna gator och gårdar, Resande verkstad), and Nordic Kulturkontakt (TAN network). The municipality supports Guldängen's operations.
2. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees of 50 SEK/year for ages 4–17 and 100 SEK/year for adults. Members can participate in activities such as apple pressing, study visits, and guided tours.
3. Visiting Fees for External Schools: Schools and preschools from Malmö receive free visits to Guldängen (municipality-supported). Schools from other municipalities pay a fee for visits.
4. Consulting and Training Services: Växtvärket offers consulting for co-creation processes with children, workshops, events, and training in child involvement for organisations. Pricing negotiated per engagement.
5. Mediated Place Development and Design: Full-service co-created place development from concept development and consultation to design, implementation and activation, provided to property owners and municipalities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Växtvärket facilitates co-creative place development, child involvement in urban planning, build-play (Bygglek) activities, and social gardening for municipalities, property developers, schools, and member families. It combines landscape architecture, outdoor pedagogy, and participatory design into a unified methodology, operating flagship sites Guldängen (building playground) and Naturmolnet (neighbourhood garden), and running the open Gatulabba method bank.

Product overview

Växtvärket is a non-profit association (Ideell Förening) based in Malmö, Sweden, founded in 2014, that operates as a social enterprise combining elements of a non-profit and a business. The organization functions as a multi-disciplinary design studio specializing in child-inclusive and sustainable urban development. Its portfolio consists of core consultancy services (co-creative place development, child participation facilitation, building play activities, and event/workshop services) delivered alongside a portfolio of owned and operated physical facilities and time-limited projects. Key facilities include Guldängen (Sweden's only building playground with cultivation) and Naturmolnet (neighborhood garden), while major projects include Gatulabba (child-friendly street planning with open methodology platform), Street Moves, and the newly launched Bygglek Underland. The organization serves municipalities, property developers, schools, and housing cooperatives across Malmö and Sweden, operating on a membership model with volunteer and employed staff.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Guldängen: Sweden's only building playground with gardening and Malmö's only staffed playground, where children are builders and gardeners and adults are helpers.
• Naturmolnet
• Gatulabba

Products and services

• Medskapad platsutveckling & gestaltning (Co-creative Place Development & Design)

Quantifiable outcome

• Thousands of children from Malmö's schools and preschools have visited Guldängen since spring 2017.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• SLU (Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2024SLU is collaborating with Växtvärket on Gatulabba 2045, a project exploring future children's mobility and urban planning. SLU contributes academic expertise and student involvement to the speculative design process.
• LTH (Lund University Faculty of Engineering)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2024LTH is collaborating with Växtvärket on Gatulabba 2045, with landscape architecture students visualising and developing scenarios. Project results contribute to LTH and SLU curricula.
• CastellumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCastellum provides land for Naturmolnet in Sofielund, Malmö, and funds basic maintenance. Växtvärket is responsible for activation, programming, and long-term development of the site. This is a long-term collaboration critical to Naturmolnet's operation.
• MKB (Malmö Kommunala Bostadsbolag)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMKB commissioned Växtvärket for multiple co-created courtyard development projects (Medskapad gårdsutveckling) at three properties (Trevnaden, Gula gården, Lönngården). Also supported the Barnens trädgård project in Bunkeflostrand. MKB is a major Malmö-based social housing provider.
• Nordr (Property Developer)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNordr commissioned Växtvärket to lead the co-creation process for the shared courtyard at BRF Trädloungen in Limhamn, a new timber housing development. Växtvärket facilitated workshops with residents and Nordr to design and build the courtyard.
• SkanskaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVäxtvärket has experience collaborating with Skanska as one of several property owners in Malmö.
• Architektūros fondas (Lithuania, Vilnius)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitektūros fondas co-creates the Baltic Traveling Architecture Network (TAN) with Växtvärket (Sweden) and AIM (Denmark). The network enables participatory design and construction with children and youth across the Baltic region.
• AIM (Denmark, Copenhagen)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAIM co-creates the Baltic Traveling Architecture Network (TAN) with Växtvärket (Sweden) and Architektūros fondas (Lithuania). AIM contributes experience in youth participatory construction in the Copenhagen area.
• BiD Malmö (Bostad i Drift)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiD Malmö collaborated with Växtvärket on the 'Blågröna gator och gårdar' project and was previously a partner in the Naturmolnet project.
• VA-sydminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVA-syd collaborated as a partner in the 'Blågröna gator och gårdar' project, contributing expertise on water and sanitation in sustainable urban development.
• Green Roof InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreen Roof Institute partnered with Växtvärket on the 'Blågröna gator och gårdar' project, contributing green infrastructure expertise.
• ArkDes Think Tank (Sweden)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArkDes Think Tank leads the national 'Street Moves' project and partnered with Växtvärket for citizen dialogue and co-design of Badhusgatan in Södertälje in 2023. Växtvärket contributed community engagement expertise.
• Liljewall ArkitekterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLiljewall Arkitekter collaborated with Växtvärket and ArkDes on the Street Moves project for Badhusgatan redesign in Södertälje.
• Fastighets- och gatukontoret i Malmö stadminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMalmö City's Property and Street Department was a partner in the initial development of Naturmolnet within the Case Sofielund 2030 project.
• Lekande KvarterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLekande Kvarter collaborated with Växtvärket and MKB on the Medskapad gårdsutveckling project for courtyard development at three MKB properties in Malmö.
• Trianon (Property Owner, Rosengård)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrianon was the property owner for the 'Resande Verkstad' project at Rosengård fritidsgård in Malmö, approving the final design proposal for the outdoor space.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/vaxtvarket
• Instagraminstagram.com/vaxtvarket.local
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vaxtvarket

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Växtvärket