Sweden’s dream home was built by data

The House of Clicks — Sweden's collective dream home — was designed using big data from the property portal Hemnet.

Everybody has their own version of a dream home. And whether it’s an isolated, rustic farmhouse or a city-center warehouse conversion, there are certain features that are generally coveted — natural light, a balcony, or a power shower. Inspired by these shared desires, a pair of famous Swedish architects have designed The House of Clicks — Sweden’s collective dream home — using big data from the property portal Hemnet.

The architects — Tham and Videgard — ascertained the nation’s preferences by analyzing 200 million clicks and 86,000 listings in order to make The House of Clicks Sweden’s most statistically sought after property. The data informed the measurable properties of the house, such as size, price, and the number of rooms, bathrooms and floors. Tham and Videgard added to this two contrasting Swedish architecture traditions: the red wooden cottage — representing history, local resources and crafts — and the white functionalist box, which stands for modernism and industrial development.

The final result is a 120-square-meter box home painted in Sweden’s traditional Falu red, with a contemporary interior of white walls and grey furniture, a fireplace and a distinct absence of carpet. The biggest room in the house is the double-height kitchen — 57 percent of properties clicked had open plan kitchens — showing that, for Swedish property seekers, the kitchen is now seen as the home’s most important social space.

The House of Clicks will sell for 2,774,021 Swedish Krona — approximately USD 235,000. How else could big data be used to improve the property market?