Implementing Regenerative Standards in Politically Green Nordic Social Welfare States: Can Sweden Adopt the Living Building Challenge? (original) (raw)
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In order to understand the implementation of sustainable building in practice, the characteristics of sustainable building are identified and discussed in a local perspective and over a ten years period. Results from two studies, that compile good built examples of sustainable building in the region of Gothenburg, Sweden, are compared. The studies, carried out in 2004 and 2014, include ten examples each and the empirical material for the individual examples consists of results from literature studies, project documents, management data, interviews with key stakeholders, and visits to the buildings. The main characteristics of the built examples are described by a framework in relation to interpretations of sustainable building. The implementation of sustainable building is discussed in terms of transformation, the kind and complexity of issues dealt with in a project, and the role of different stakeholders. The results indicate tendencies of the development of the implementation fro...
Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy
Sustainable buildings have often been niche products, but in recent years a new approach has emerged in Denmark aimed at mainstreaming and normalizing this mode of construction and seeking to attract ordinary Danes through market conditions. The aim is to present an alternative conceptualization of sustainable buildings to the ecocommunities' vision and to involve traditional building firms in their design and development. From a theoretical perspective, the mainstreaming of sustainable buildings can be seen either as an example of ecological modernization or technological transition. The new conceptualization has implied a narrower approach to sustainability and a lack of social sustainability measures. While earlier paradigms of sustainable buildings emphasized themes such as community building, self-provisioning, local empowerment, and shared facilities, such objectives are largely absent in the new types of sustainable buildings. We question to what extent it is possible to design sustainable settlements without social sustainability. By viewing sustainable buildings as technological configurations, we argue that the multiactor approach, fragmentation of roles, and absent initiatives for social sustainability influence the buildings' environmental performance and should be important for the next generation of these structures.
Criteria for Sustainable Buildings in Sweden
Springer Proceedings in Energy, 2018
To continue to be an effective guidance tool for the property and construction sectors and to meet the environmental quality objectives, the Swedish certification system Miljobyggnad needed to be developed. Over the years, new research results have been published and political decisions made that affect sustainable building and construction. What was rated as ‘best available technology’ ten years ago has now become standard. In this project, industry and academia have collaborated to implement research findings into practice. Miljobyggnad considers requirements of energy, indoor environment and material use. The criteria give high scores for low heating power need, low heating loads from the sun, energy efficiency, high share of renewable energy, good sound levels, low radon exposure, good ventilation performance, moisture safety, indoor comfort in winter and summer, good daylight, low risk of legionella, documentation on material used, avoidance of hazardous substances and evaluati...
Arts
Structuralism in architecture was a widespread international phenomenon in the post-war decades. It was an avant-garde architecture, in many cases even utopian. In contrast to this, the structural philosophy of the Swedish National Board of Building was outspokenly pragmatic. This article, based on documents and interviews with the architects involved, gives the background of the National Board’s interest in “the chronological dimension of architecture”. The National Board was the largest client in Sweden for design and building and experienced managers of a large building stock. In the mid-1960s, they developed, in cooperation with consultants, a “building box” for office buildings. They gladly showed a lack of interest or downright scepticism towards international structuralism: “Utopias are for those who cannot build”. Two of the main involved practices were A4 and ELLT, later merged into Coordinator architects, and from early on focused on an architecture of change. Two of their...
THE ROLE OF THE ARCHITECT IN SUSTAINABLE HOUSING TRANSFORMATION: FOUR SWEDISH CASES STUDIES
Nordic journal of Architectural Research, 2019
Sustainable housing renovation is often connected to broader transformation processes and a need of holistic approaches to deal with social, environmental and economic development. Architectural knowledge has been described as uniquely positioned to handle complex real-world problems by dealing with sustainability from a whole-systems perspective. In this paper, the role of the architect and the influence of architectural knowledge are explored in four cases of public housing renovation. The results show that most of the architects experience limited influence. The division of longer transformations into shorter projects under the direction of a series of architects rather than a single firm is a limiting factor, and public procurement another. Good experience is also reported from integrated design, suggesting that architects could play a productive role as educators of the design team. In order to fulfil that role, the architects might need to review their approach to sustainable renovation.
2008
This paper explores the mechanism for development towards more sustainable building in Sweden. The proposed mechanism is based on a retrospective study of the evolution of more sustainable building practices during the last decades, with focus on the west of Sweden and using elements from theories on ecological modernisation as a way to understand change. The retrospective study presents actors, networks and important break-points. Three conceptual pairs have been used to discuss factors that make sustainable building practices progress: governance and learning, exemplifying and legitimising, and symbol and performance. It is argued that we might experience a shift towards governance and voluntary action developed through practical experiences. Catalysing successful demonstration projects lead the way, set up visions and goals and influence development of policy and regulation. The focus on energy efficiency has led to a broad acceptance with a rebound synergistic effect back to other building qualities. However, it is important to look beyond current achievements and to reconsider other important aspects of sustainable building: water and material issues, renewable energy and social issues.
10 years, 10 examples. Building for sustainable development in Gothenburg, 2003-2013
2016
This booklet was assembled over the course of four months in late 2013 and early 2014, and finalized two years later. The work was funded by Adlerbertska Stiftelsen. The Swedish text was written by Annika Danielsson and Liane Thuvander with help from Anna Gustafsson and translated to English by John Krause, Language Consulting. We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all those who agreed to be interviewed and to all those who contributed information to the work in other ways. The many people who-voluntarily or involuntarily-served as sounding boards for our ideas via email, in spontaneous hallway discussions, or over coffee also deserve thanks.
2004
This thesis explores demonstration projects as a potential strategy for supporting processes towards sustainable development in the building sector through making mainstream building more sustainable. The research question has been approached in four empirical studies carried out in Sweden and the Netherlands, which study demonstration projects for sustainable housing from different perspectives. These are: 1) two case studies, 2) qualitative interviews with key actors, 3) a study of the image conveyed by the Swedish trade press, and 4) a study of the image conveyed by The Swedish Architectural Review. The findings are discussed using a framework presenting the notions of sustainable development and sustainable building, conditions for learning and development in the building sector as well as the findings from earlier research in the field. The thesis indicates that demonstration projects have an important role in the processes towards sustainable development in the building sector...