Råby-Rekarne invites the rural communities of Eskilstuna to celebrate the important stages of life with the proposal of a new People's House. Råby-Rekarne is just one example of how the rural communities in the countryside of Eskilstuna seem to have formed around their local church as a gathering point throughout history. The 12th century church which Råby-Rekarne is build around has lost some of its unifying force as members are depleting and perhaps the use of churches are becoming less relevant today. This might call for a new outlook on how churches in small rural communities are going to be used. This proposal is an exploration of the issue and a recognition that People's Houses might be a successor to churches in terms of unifying and gathering people, especially in smaller communities. However, the proposal should not be viewed as a replacement to the church but rather an attempt at preserving social qualities that may be lost if churches are phased out due to depleted membership numbers or low capacity for larger gatherings. The main purpose is to find a way to share responsibilities with existing local establishments such as churches in order to preserve the foundation of local networks and thereby supporting natural growth in small communities. The People's House can be used either for entire ceremonies or for the gatherings that follow ceremonies performed by the church, such as wedding dinners, parties or coffee after funerals. / Folkets hus bjuder in hela Eskilstunas landsbygd till att fira livet från födseln till de sista ögonblicken. Mindre orter som Råby-Rekarne tycks ha uppstått kring sina kyrkor, här har den glesa befolkningen samlats och blivit grannar. Råby-Rekarne kyrka har funnits sedan 1100-talet och bebyggelsen runtomkring har återuppstått kring kyrkan flera gånger under dess livstid. Idag har kyrkan förlorat en del av sin samlande kraft och vi behöver en ny plats för gemenskap på landsbygden, samtidigt har kyrkan för många en betydelsefull roll i livets stora ögonblick. Kanske är det en roll som kyrkan kan dela med Folkets Hus om vi tillsammans kan bygga en plats som är till för livets alla steg, ett centrum för liv med plats för kultur, ceremoni, utbildning och firande. Kanske kan vi återuppliva kyrkans samlingskraft genom att också ta hand om det som sker efter ceremonin. På längre sikt kan projektet bidra till att Råby-Rekarne kan fortsätta vara en historiskt värdefull plats att bo på. Kyrkans roll som platsskapande, samlande och kulturbevarande riskerar att förloras om medlemsantalen fortsätter att sjunka. I stället får Råby-Rekarne en chans att bli centrum för de viktiga händelserna i livet, genom att arbeta tillsammans med och inte ta över kyrkans uppgifter öppnas verksamheten för fler. Folkets hus blir ett tillskott som förhoppningsvis kan leda till att viktiga historiska värden bevaras men även utnyttjas av en större målgrupp.

I ett naturreservat intill en camping i utkanten av Järnaområdet skapades en ny typ av Folkets hus. Byggnaden är placerad i sydostlig riktning på toppen av en udde, med ett stort entréplan som starten av huset som sedan klättrar sig ned längs med landskapet mot stranden, där man finner den avslutande badplatsen. Det inrymmer en hosteldel med café och en butik för cykel- och båtuthyrning, samt försäljning av allt som hör friluftsliv till, för att knyta samman platsen och byggnaden med naturreservatet och de motionerare som på olika sätt tar sig till platsen. Här finns även en restaurang, konferenssal, utställning samt öppna gemensamma ytor så som offentliga kontor, mötesrum och ett gemensamt allrum där centrets olika gäster kan möstas. Alla dessa ytor knyts samman av en serie trappor som klättrar med byggnaden ner för berget, med öppna plattformar där man närsomhelst kan kliva av och på byggnaden. Naturreservatets redan befintliga stråk har jobbats in i projektet och passerar genom byggnadens entréplattform och fortsätter vidare från butiksplanet, våningen under. Från byggnaden kommer nya stigar skapas genom besökarnas naturliga rörelse genom och runt alla avsatser. / In a nature reserve next to a campsite on the outskirts of the Järna area, a new type of Folkets hus was created. The building is located in a south-easterly direction on top of a headland, with a large entrance floor as the start of the house which then climbs down along the landscape towards the beach, and ends with a bathing spot. It houses a hostel part with a café and a shop for bicycle- and boat rental, as well as sales of everything that belongs to outdoor life, to connect the place and the building with the nature reserve and the exercisers who pass through the place in different ways. There is also a restaurant, conference hall, exhibition and open common areas such as public offices, meeting rooms and a common living room where the center's various guests can meet. All these surfaces are connected by a series of stairs that climb with the building down the mountain, with open platforms where you can exit and enter the building at any time. The nature reserve's already existing trail have been worked into the project and pass through the building's entrance platform and continue on from the store floor, one floor below. From the building, new paths will be created through the visitors' natural movement through and around all ledges.

The concept for Nynäshamn’s new house for the people is a flexible, living building with possibilities for adaptation. The idea is to not dictate what the people need, but instead create a space that can develop and adapt over time with the help of movable walls suspended from a grid of rails in the ceiling. A large unobstructed space is needed to house all manner of activities and the outer shell of the building is designed to enable that, with steel truss work spanning 42 meters. Steel and glass were chosen as practical materials for constructing a large hall without columns, but is also a long lasting material that can be recycled. The overhead rail system is simple to use and the walls can be pushed by hand, so that using the building becomes highly intuitive and immediate change is possible.

Norr om Järna vid den befintliga hästgården Bergtorp fanns förutsättningar för en ny typ av byggnad som kombinerar flera aktiviteter. Hästarnas betydelse på platsen fick genomsyra Folkets hus genom en ridhall med diversitet och flexibilitet för ett hållbart socialt liv i landsbygden. Ladans betydelse och historia i lantbruksorten Järna är den stora inspirationen till mitt Folkets Hus. Den långa strukturen med sadeltak liknar en lada till form och färg, men formgivning och interiör skapar en ny tolkning där en samtida mötesplats för flera målgrupper står i fokus. Byggnaden består av ett yttre och ett inre skal som tillsammans skapar en ytterligare dimension när ljus och årstid påverkar de skuggor som skapas. Målet har varit att skapa en byggnad där flera målgrupper känner sig delaktiga även om de inte deltar aktivt i den aktivitet som sker. Det har möjliggjorts genom en öppning i bjälklaget som förbinder Folkets hus med ridhallen. Genom hållbara val, såväl materialmässigt som socialt, hålls landsbygden levande och kan nyttjas av flera generationer. / North of Järna at the existing horse farm Bergtorp were conditions for a new type of building which combines several activities. The importance of the horses at the chosen spot was permeated in the People's house through a riding hall with diversity and flexibility for a sustainable social life in the rural.  The significance and history of the barn in the agricultural town of Järna is the main inspiration for my People's house. The long structure with a saddle roof resembles a barn in shape and form, however design and interior creates a new interpretation where a contemporary meeting place for several target groups is the main focus. The building consists of an outer and an inner shell that together creates an additional dimension when light and season affects the shadows created. The goal has been to create a building where several target groups feels involved even if they don't actively participate in the activity that takes place. It has been made possible through an opening in the floor which connects the People's house with the riding hall. Through sustainable choices, both materially and socially, the countryside is kept alive and can be used by several generations.

The purpose of this dissertation is to analyze the People’s House in Bromölla as an arena for a plebeian public sphere. More specific, the analysis revolves around how the labour movement created a plebeian public sphere, the construction of the very arena and the activities there, including study circles, labour library, theatre plays, film showings, dance evenings and other amusements as parts of adult education among the working class people. It also comprises examinations of the labour movement’s acting in the local political arena, the labour movement’s connections with the local bourgeoisie on matters concerning politics and the People’s House. The main theoretical perspective is based on Jürgen Habermas’ theory of bourgeois public sphere, reformulated to a plebeian public sphere. The adult education in study circles mainly focused on subjects related to the work in the local politics and in the trade union, i.e. for the activities in the public sphere. These parts of the adult education were primarily a matter for the male part of the labour movement. This mirrors the situation in politics and in the trade union, where foremost men were engaged. Beside the trade union and political studies, subjects like Swedish, English, Esperanto, mathematics and literature were common. From time to time socialism and Marxism were studied. The women mainly studied humanistic subjects with individual development and hold thus the vision of the education ideologists within the labour movement. In the 1940’s the study circles decreased, and finally, in the end of the 1950’s almost ceased. Despite this the education did not cease, but were replaced by music, singing, dancing and machine sewing courses arranged by commercial companies and aesthetic associations. The People’s House was from the beginning open even for associations outside the labour movement. In the 1940’s and, in particularly, the 1950’s the People’s House became an assembly hall for a huge range of associations. Among the tenants were Free Church parishes, athletic associations, hobby associations, temperance societies, political parties from left to right, trade unions, authorities, companies, and the municipal of Bromölla. People’s house was also a place for wedding and birthday celebrations and other private parties. Among the more frequent tenants were Free Churches and music, singing and athletic associations, beside Bromölla municipal, which were a permanent tenant, for instance for the municipal library. The amount of associations from outside the labour movement among the tenants exceeded for some years in the end of 1950’s the labour movement’s meetings. This cross class policy was a conscious strategy by the People’s House association, in order to be a cultural institution for all inhabitants in Bromölla. The municipal council of Bromölla was even a part of this policy when subsidizing the People’s House association. It was in accordance with the cross class and consensus policy which the social democratic movement by this time was an exponent of. The People’s House in Bromölla was thus an arena not only for the labour movement, but also for the entire society.

The diploma thesis is dedicated to the countess and philanthropist S. V. Panina. It focuses mainly on her life and philanthropic activities. The first chapter contains the biography of S. V. Panina. The second chapter is devoted to the philanthropic activities of countess. The first part of this chapter elaborates on her project, which was implemented in pre-revolutionary St. Petersburg, namely the Ligovsky people's house. The second subchapter is devoted to the activities of S. V. Panina in Czechoslovakia. First, the operation and financing of the Russian people's house, called Russian Fireplace, is elaborated here. Subsequently, this part deals with the activities of S. V. Panina in the Executive Committee for the Organization of the Russian Culture Days in Czechoslovakia. The third subchapter focuses on the countess' charitable activities in the United States, where she left from Czechoslovakia. The last fourth part of the chapter is devoted to the countess' individual charitable activities.