Perspektiv på bostadsförnyelse: Vad kan vi lära av tidigare renoveringar?

Kortrapport om forskning 2015:

Action Research for sustainability: co-creation overcoming fragmentation in multidisciplinary design teams

Abstract. Sustainable transitions are challenging management and leadership in architectural practice. As means to overcome fragmentation and drive for sustainability, co-creation has become an emerging trend in construction management research and architectural practice. The early \u27fuzzy\u27 phase of projects has been identified as of great importance to integrate multi- disciplinary perspectives in the design. With action research in architectural practice, three perspectives of co-creation processes were explored to achieve an integrated sustainable design. The experiences are reflected upon, in-action and in retrospect, and through the FfC framework (Framework for Co-designing), the paper contributes with new insight on success/advantage of co-creation processes for sustainable design. Such advantages include the integration of multidisciplinary competences, the creation of stakeholder value and engagement in early phase construction. Further, action research, and especially Gestalt practice and theory, brought a new relational approach to co-creation processes in early design. The architect, in the new role as ‘knowledge-process designer’, shifts focus towards designing interaction instead of artefacts, and thus contributes to SDG 17-Partnerships. The contribution to practice was twofold; 1) a new digital participatory design tool; 2) an innovative sustainable design solution for urban resilience supporting SDGs 11-Sustianable cities, 3-Health, and 14-Climate

What are typical levels of housing renovation? A typology based on Swedish public strategies

The gap between energy policy and potential energy savings through renovation, and what is carried out in practice has been in focus of previous research. Various influencing factors such as economy, organisation, and social relations versus tenants has been studied to design guidelines to bridge this gap. There is a lack of empirical studies of how renovation is planned, and what factors will influence the renovation measures that are implemented. This paper takes the starting point in 42 on-going and planned housing renovation projects 2018 - 2021 carried out by three municipal housing companies in one major Swedish metropolitan area. Based on the character of these, three main types of housing renovation are defined. The most current type of renovation is bathroom and piping while climate envelope renovation and deep renovation are less common. Energy saving is decoupled from renovation activities which will have implications for implementation of policy for energy efficient renovation

Adaptable housing? A quantitative study of contemporary apartment layouts that have been rearranged by end-users

Adaptability, that is, the capacity to accommodate future changes, is described as an intrinsic aspect of sustainable housing. Nevertheless, few studies have provided empirical evidence of what makes housing adaptable for end-users. Based on a sample of 313 modern apartments that have been rearranged by their owner-occupiers, two aspects of adaptability are subjected to a quantitative analysis based on space syntax regarding the generality or polyvalence of space and the physical factors of the floor plans that facilitate reconstructions. The results show that two form factors are linked to occupant rearrangements: the size of the living space and the fragmentation of the initial floor plan. The results spark a discussion on a lack of general use of modern apartments and the long-term sustainability of housing stocks with respect to social aspects, as well as resource use from renovation and adaptation. There is a need for the market to acknowledge residents’ motivations for rearranging their living space, which can be due to a lack of quality in the original design, limitations in choosing a suitable apartment, or as a result of changing household needs

Potentials and challenges for sustainable retrofitting of non-domestic buildings: A UK perspective

This paper presents tentative results from a study of retrofitting activities in the commercial property sector in Bristol, the UK. The study is part of on-going research on the theme ‘Retrofitting the city’ that explores the adaptation of existing built environments to deal with climate change and objectives for sustainable futures. From the Bristol study two concepts related to retrofitting becomes especially apparent: ‘commercial’ and ‘community’. Results indicate that we might be experiencing a shift where the UK property sector is gaining conscience of the risk of having ‘unsustainable’ property as part of their portfolios. This change is induced by occupier demands, increased costs for energy and waste management etc., and a more complex process for planning permission. Environmental ambitions have to be balanced with commercial viability, but strengthened policies are to be expected. The study shows that retrofitting of single buildings often includes visions for regeneration of urban areas and the involvement of the local community. This agenda seems partly to be pushed by new planning permission procedures. The study points to a number of fields in which contributions are needed to facilitate future sustainable retrofitting activities including: the archaeology of site, rewiring of the city, and the socioeconomic and environmental benefits in a revaluation of existing property

Relocation rationale - Why people move in connection with renovation projects

The existing housing stock is constantly in need of maintenance and renovation. Previous research has showed that renovation projects may force tenants to move involuntarily, and there is a correlation between the scale of the renovation project, the economic consequences for the tenants, and the relocation frequency. In this paper, the aim is to identify the reasons for tenants\u27 choice to relocate, based on both quantitative and qualitative data. This paper is based on material from a larger study of tenants\u27 experiences of housing renovation and their decision to relocate. From a large empirical material of 426 personal interviews with tenants living in municipally owned rental apartments within the city of Gothenburg, 117 respondents were identified, whose choice to relocate were directly linked to the renovation process. The interviews were transcribed, analyzed and coded into different categories. Preliminary results show that the majority of relocations that occur in connection to renovation projects are in fact not related to the renovation process in itself. The primary reason to move was to upsize, to move in with a partner, to move from rental to home ownership, and to live in another area. Arguments directly connected to the renovation process were to avoid the disturbances connected to living in an apartment while it was being renovated, or avoiding being evacuated and having to move several times, and avoiding the economic consequences of rent increases after the renovation. The results illustrate the vital role of the property owner in planning and organizing the renovation projects in order to minimize the disturbances for the tenants. It supports the current trend to divide renovation projects into smaller segments, applying more diverse strategies and avoiding one-size-fits-all-approaches to renovation

Meeting Design Supporting Sustainability in Early Planning Practice: A Combination of ‘Hard and Soft’ Characteristics

While research on the sustainable built environment has acknowledged the need to integrate multidisciplinary perspectives in the early planning phases, few studies have focused on early-phase meetings and how these can support such co-creation of sustainability. In this study, a set of “characteristics” for collaborative meetings integrating multidisciplinary perspectives was tested in 16 meetings that took place in the early phase. An action research insider perspective was used, where a researcher was also the facilitator of these 16 meetings. The cases provide insights into the early-phase processes where the building industry can achieve sustainable impacts on the built environment. This was exemplified by two of the cases becoming demonstration projects in terms of sustainability. Empirical material was gathered through discussions and surveys with meeting participants and was analyzed through the lens of the meeting design characteristics. The findings show that processes with ‘soft’ interpersonal characteristics (expressing emotions, tempo change during dialogue, engaging in social interaction, moving the body) support the development of a shared understanding of sustainability that integrates multidisciplinary perspectives. For larger groups and in digital meetings, a combination of ‘soft’ (interpersonal) and ‘hard’ (digital communication tools and platforms) characteristics were found to be supportive, especially when the meeting time was limited. This research suggests a revision of the design of multidisciplinary early-phase meetings towards including social, emotional, bodily, and collaborative exercises supported by digital tools

How well do policies for energy efficiency and heritage values in the Swedish housing stock work

This paper investigates how societal goals of heritage conservation and energy efficiency are handled in the management of Swedish multi-residential buildings. Interviews were made with larger owners of multi-residential stocks, and their perspectives are compared to officials at the City Planning Offices in two Swedish municipalities: G\uf6teborg and Gotland. The questions posed are: How is heritage prioritised in relation to increased energy efficiency, climate impact and other objectives such as cost-efficiency? How important are their internal policies in comparison with external policies imposed by society? The companies express that they are proud of the heritage of their building stock, but they have not integrated heritage values in their management plans and strategies. Social issues such as safety and well-being are included, but not heritage. A consequence of this lack of systematic consideration of heritage is that measures for increased energy efficiency may conflict with conservation needs. In order for heritage values to be taken more seriously in relation to energy efficiency they would need to be integrated into such plans. The benefit from integrating heritage values in sustainable housing management is a question that should be further studied. The paper refers to SDGs 3, 11 and 13

PATHWAYS FOR SUSTAINABLE HOUSING TRANSFORMATIONS: AN INTERNATIONAL COMPARISON OF RETROFITTING STRATEGIES FOR (SOCIAL) HOUSING

The importance to address Europe’s large stock of aging, deteriorating and highly energy inefficient housing stock in order to reach goals for climate change and sustainable development is today widely accepted. This recently initiated research project will review cases of sustainable housing transformations in existing post-war housing stocks in Europe and other developed countries (i.e. USA, Canada, etc.) in which both environmental and social issues are addressed with an emphasis on affordable living. The focus is on process issues and on prime movers among housing associations and their role as construction clients in driving self-sustaining innovation processes to reach more sustainable housing transformations: how they support and drive innovation, learning and implementation in relation to this issue, and if their strategies are replicable for a larger selection of housing owners in an international perspective. This paper presents preliminary findings based on two case studies of prime movers among housing associations, one in the Netherlands and one in Sweden, that have carried out sustainable housing transformations. Based on literature on environmental innovation in construction and on a model to change individual behaviour in planning interventions by Green and Kreuter (1999) we have developed a framework for analysis of housing associations’ behaviour. This tentative framework singles out: predisposing, enabling, reinforcing, responsive and inhibiting factors as well as factors that will support the transferability and replicability of results. The findings will be used for the further development of the framework to be used in the continuation of the project where more cases in Europe and internationally will be studied and analysed