Our history

Milestones in Hemsö’s history

2009

Hemsö became an independent company, owned 50 per cent by the Third Swedish National Pension Fund.

2011

Hemsö completed its first acquisitions in Germany in 2011, comprising 17 properties. Hemsö’s first development project was completed – the construction of a new upper secondary school for 800 students in Upplands Väsby.

2012

Hemsö established an office in Germany. The Third Swedish National Pension Fund acquired the remaining 50 per cent of shares in Hemsö and thereby became sole owner of the company.

2013

Hemsö initiated its first bond programme as part of efforts to secure even more stable funding. The company also entered the Finnish market through the acquisition of Turku University of Applied Sciences. Together with AB Sagax, the Third Swedish National Pension Fund formed Hemsö Intressenter, which acquired 30 per cent of Hemsö. The first elementary school, Harvestadsskolan (with 350 places) was completed in Linköping, as well as the police station in Umeå.

2014

Established an office in Helsinki, Finland.

2015

Hemsö decided to include sustainability in its business model. The company received a credit rating of A- from Standard & Poor’s.

2016

Hemsö issued the first sustainability bond in the Nordic region and established a European bond programme.

2018

Hemsö completed its first construction in Germany – a secondary school for 1,000 students in Zossen, outside Berlin.

2019

Hemsö completed its first construction of two new fire and rescue stations in Oulu, Finland, and one new nursing home in Germany.

2020

Hemsö starts construction of Sweden’s first Zero CO2 certified nursing home in Tyresö with Stiftelsen Stora Sköndal as tenant. The company receives a long-term credit rating of “A” with a stable outlook from Fitch Ratings. Hemsö signs a contract for the first primary school in Helsinki with a private landlord and the City of Helsinki as tenant.

2021

Hemsö and Tagebad are forming Hemtag Fastigheter AB, which is half owned each, to develop, own and manage swimming and wellness facilities. Fitch upgrades Hemsö’s credit rating to A+ with a stable outlook. Hemsö signs an acquisition agreement for the Lilla Tensta 1 property, which includes the buildings Tensta gymnasium and Tensta Träff. Sweden Green Building Council (SGBC) appoints Hemsö as the winner of the Zero CO2 Project of the Year for the Sköndalsvillan retirement and short-term care home in Tyresö and the Breeam-In-Use Building of the Year for the Torp medical center in Lerum.

2022

Hemsö received a land allocation from the City of Stockholm for the development of a sports centre in Bromma, Stockholm. The new facility will house Sweden’s first specially adapted ice rink for figure skating. Hemsö acquired three social and healthcare properties in Tampere, Finland, and the Kymenlaakso Psychiatric Hospital in Kouvola from Kymsote (the joint municipality for social and healthcare services in Kymenlaakso). Hemsö acquires a nursing home in Chemnitz and two nursing homes in the state of Bavaria in Germany.

2023

Kerstin Hessius was elected as new Chairman at Hemsö’s AGM in 2023. Kerstin Hessius has been a member of Hemsö’s Board of Directors since 2009. The Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), a multilateral development bank with an exclusive social mandate, granted an eight-year unsecured loan of EUR 22.2 million to Hemsö’s Campus Tensta project. Hemsö was awarded a lease by the City of Helsinki in a public tender. The city will rent premises for two upper secondary schools specialising in the arts in Helsinki. Hemsö’s owners decided to inject a total of SEK 2 billion in equity to strengthen the capital structure and finance Hemsö’s investments in new sustainable schools and nursing homes. Hemsö signed a 15-year lease agreement with the Swedish Police Authority for a new police station in Borlänge.

2024

Hemsö signed a 20-year agreement with the City of Helsinki for Vallila Primary School, with room for 350 pupils. The school building, built in 1902, will undergo extensive remodelling. Hemsö entered into a 20-year agreement with the City of Rangsdorf for a new municipal secondary school with room for 220 students at an exciting development site – the former Rangsdorf airfield outside Berlin. Moody’s assigned Hemsö a long-term credit rating of A3 with a stable outlook. The target of energy consumption per square metre in our property portfolio in Sweden of less than 100 kWh was achieved in December. In Sweden, the Capella community property in Gothenburg was also celebrated as fully let. Hemsö and Austrian Real Estate (ARE) entered into a joint venture to jointly develop school properties, the first project being a new municipal school in central Cologne. A 25-year lease has been signed with the City of Cologne and construction will commence in summer 2025.