We are now taking sustainability to a new level by constructing buildings from buildings in Haga Norra - welcome to Hållbarhetshuset (Sustainability House)!

Hållbarhetshuset (Sustainability House), the first pilot building in the Återhus – att bygga hus av hus (Re-building – constructing buildings from buildings) project, has now been completed in Haga Norra, the new urban district in Arenastaden. The building is made of about 70 per cent reused material and is a pioneer of its kind. The high level of reuse means a carbon footprint reduction of 105 tonnes of CO2 – which has attracted a lot of interest from the construction industry. The lessons learned from the project will enable Fabege to scale up reuse in its project activities and contribute new knowledge to the property sector.

Hållbarhetshuset was built on the initiative of Fabege and the contractor Zengun and is part of the Vinnova-funded research project "Återhus – att bygga hus av hus", in which 14 partners* are developing methods, processes and tools to enable the reuse of heavy building elements such as steel and concrete frames and facades.

The 1,000-sqm building houses offices, meeting areas and a showroom, thus serving both as an establishment office and as a hub for generating knowledge about the project and reuse.

The building consists of reused material from the old Bilia building, built in the 1970s. When Bilia was to be demolished to make way for new districts focusing on sustainability in Haga Norra, Fabege, along with the contractor Zengun, saw an opportunity to identify new methods to increase reuse and reduce environmental impact. The project has managed to reuse parts of the frames, in the form of HDF joists from the old property, something that has not been done before in Sweden and has provided invaluable know-how for future projects – for Fabege and for the industry in general. In addition, more materials and components such as doors, windows, stairs, meeting room partitions, kitchenettes, toilets, sinks, floors, suspended ceiling tiles and lighting from the old Bilia building have been reused. 

This project is just the beginning of a long journey towards greater sustainability. Fabege’s ambition is to broaden the palette of materials that can be reused. Hållbarhetshuset, for example, is the first project in Sweden to reuse timbers, in the form of HDF joists. It is important to reuse more materials in order to reduce the carbon footprint, and this can also have a positive impact on energy and water consumption, along with financial and historical value.

“There’s a lot of interest in constructing buildings from buildings, and we look forward to sharing our experiences. There should be no competition on climate issues – instead, everyone should help to drive the industry forward and contribute to achieving the climate goals,” says Mia Häggström, our Head of Sustainability.

“Hållbarhetshuset is a pilot project that is attracting a great deal of interest, as the whole industry wants to reduce the carbon footprint of its projects. We look forward to sharing the lessons we’ve learned with the industry and continuing to reuse on a large scale in the future,” says Emilie Larsson, project manager Hållbarhetshuset.

Materials reused in the project

*Partners of the Project "Återhus – att bygga hus av hus" (Re-building – constructing buildings from buildings)
Anthesis, Atrium Ljungberg, Codesign, Contiga, Fabege, KTH, NCC, NREP, Ramboll, RISE, Stockholm stad, Svensk Betong, Vasakronan och Zengun.

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