A SOLUTION FOR REDUCING IMPACT ON CLIMATE
WOODEN BUILDINGS
An eight-floor building in wood is being built in Gothenburg. The construction and real estate industry accounts for just over 20 percent of Sweden's total greenhouse gas emissions. At Stena Property, several initiatives are underway to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and halve our climate footprint by 2030. In Askim in Gothenburg, we find Trägården, one of the company's foremost innovation projects for reducing emissions in new production.
In the Askim district, south of central Gothenburg, Stena Property is constructing five multi-family buildings, close to the sea and nature. The site adjoins Stena Property’s existing apartment buildings in the area. Here, the company is testing several different new methods so as to make a positive contribution to our climate.
“All the buildings have wooden frames and facades,” says David Berkow, Department Manager at Stena Property. “The concrete for the foundation plates is green concrete, and the reinforcements are made of recycled steel. Two of the buildings are made up of modules where virtually the entire building, including finished kitchens and bathrooms, is constructed in the factory and then lifted in place on site. One of these buildings is eight floors high, which is unusual when it comes to modular wooden structures.”
In working with Trägården, substantial focus is also being placed on energy supply. Solar cells are installed on the roofs and heating comes from an internal heating system. The newly constructed buildings are heated with return heat from Stena Property’s neighboring building in Pilegården. But what is the benefit of wooden structures from a climate perspective?
“If we compare a building in Trägården with a typical building, and the starting value that is set as the baseline for new production, we’re lowering the footprint from 380 kg CO2e/sqm GFA to 122 kg CO2e/sqm GFA,” says Anna Haraldsson Jensen, Sustainability Developer at Stena Property. “We have a long-term goal of halving our climate footprint by 2030. To get there we need to be innovative, challenge ourselves and together with others. We need to change our processes to minimize the climate footprint of the materials and production. By doing this, we’ll have a property that will last for many years to come and with minimal climate impact.”
Anna Haraldsson Jensen, Sustainability Developer, Stena Property. David Berkow, Department Manager, Stena Property.
CHALLENGES AND DEVELOPMENT
Stena Property aims to build 1,100 sustainable homes each year, and this year at least three wooden building projects will be started. In the projects, wood can be combined with other materials, to gain new knowledge, and see what produces the best effect. Stena Fastigheter wants to share their lessons learned.
“Two of our construction projects, including Trägården, are part of a study being conducted by the Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning,” says Anna Haraldsson Jensen. “The purpose of the study is to set new reference values for climate impact for new buildings. We want to be open and work actively so that both we and others can make wiser and better decisions early in the construction process.”
That there are challenges is quite clear, but with challenges also come new ideas.
“The construction and real estate industry has worked in the same ways for a long time, and has not been that prone to change, but we’re see more and more people wanting to create change,” says David Berkow. “Another challenge today is that wood is more expensive than concrete. In addition, knowledge is limited. In Trägården, for example, we have had to engage a wooden building expert in Umeå for help. We always need experts in moisture, fire, acoustics, but when we build in wood, there are few who are sufficiently knowledgeable in the area, so the availability of skills is another challenge.”
What is it like working with these challenges, and with a project like Trägården?
“We at Stena Property are driven by sustainability, but also that we find innovation exciting,” says David Berkow. “Here we get the opportunity to challenge ourselves. It’s positive both for the industry and the company, as well as for personal development.”
* GFA = Gross Floor Area for the entire structure, including exterior walls, basement, etc.
Trägården, south of Gothenburg, from above.
FACTS
• The frame and facade are made of wood, a renewable material with significantly less climate impact than, for example, brick.
• The reinforcement components are made from recycled steel in collaboration with Stena Metall; the concrete used for the concrete slab is green concrete and the buildings will receive the Nordic Swan Ecolabel.
• Trägården consists of five buildings, of which one is an eight-floor building, and the others have five floors. These are both condominiums and rental apartments.
• Stena Property will halve its climate footprint by 2030 with existing yield. All activities are included.
• Stena Property plans to build 1,100 sustainable homes annually.
SWEDISH NATIONAL BOARD OF HOUSING, BUILDING AND PLANNING
The government has commissioned the Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning to promote reduced climate impact in public procurement of contracts for construction, civil engineering and real estate.
A study from the Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning, which aims to set new reference values for climate impact for new buildings, includes 68 new production projects in Sweden, two of which are from Stena Fastigheter, Trägården and Stuveriet (an office building in
Gothenburg).
