Managing Sustainability Aspects in Renovation Processes: Interview Study and Outline of a Process Model

Abstract

Abstract:In many European countries, there are building stocks in need of extensive renovation. This constitutes an important opportunity to perform energy-saving measures and improve indoor environmental quality aiming at a more sustainable built environment. In this paper, we report results from an interview study with the aim of obtaining an in-depth understanding of renovation processes and how sustainability aspects are handled by various Swedish property owners. Examples of important barriers revealed in the interviews are insufficient inspection of existing buildings, absence of both overarching and detailed sustainability targets and guidelines, and lack of knowledge about sustainability aspects. Based on the interview study, conclusions are drawn for the further development of a process model which aims at systematize integration and effectively address energy, environmental, and indoor environmental quality aspects throughout a renovation process; we refer to this as sustainable renovation. Some key starting points for the process model are to suggest routines, provide checklists and tools, and offer guidance for formulating sustainability targets. However, the interviews show that in order to reach a more sustainable built environment, there is a need for government subsidies, other incentives or new business models that value environmental aspects higher.

From Tool-Making to Tool-Using – And Back: Rationales for Adoption and Use of LCC

“…The question arises whether or not the adoption of LCC really is as slow as claimed, or if there is a discrepancy between the way researchers idealistically picture how LCC should be used and practitioners' ways of using LCC in practice. In a recent study about construction clients it was in fact found that the vast majority used LCC within their organization (Gluch & Gustafsson, 2015), which agrees with the interview observations made by Olsson et al (2015). However, Olsson et al (2015) found a large variation in the way LCC was used.…”

“…In a recent study about construction clients it was in fact found that the vast majority used LCC within their organization (Gluch & Gustafsson, 2015), which agrees with the interview observations made by Olsson et al (2015). However, Olsson et al (2015) found a large variation in the way LCC was used. Taken together, this points to a disparity between researchers' and practitioners' perception about the level and type of use of LCC in construction and real estate, necessitating the investigation about the practice of LCC, including practitioners' rationales for LCC adoption and a mapping of their uses for it in practice.…”

“…Similar to Olsson et al (2015) and Ludvig, Stenberg, and Gluch (2013) we conclude that the ways sustainability issues are addressed in renovation decisions may largely depend on the skills and wills of individual project managers.…”

“…Since investment costs are set against running costs over a longer period of time than in traditional investment calculus, LCC enables choices between solutions set in relation to a building's full technical life cycle. For an LCC to capture all costs through the life cycle of a building, it must include data on capital costs, estimated maintenance, operating and disposal costs, predicted lifetime of the building and of various building components (Olsson et al, 2015). Owing to the extended time horizon in the calculations, it increases the importance of how future uncertainties are properly addressed (Korpi & Ala-Risku, 2008), which is why assumptions on discount rates, alternative scenarios and cost allocation over time need careful consideration (Gluch & Baumann, 2004).…”

“…While LCC has existed for more than four decades and despite well-documented benefits of LCC as a means for including long-term economic consequences in building investment decisions, recent research claims that the adoption of LCC within industry is slow (Higham, Fortune, & James, 2015;D'Incognito, Costantino, & Giovanni, 2015). Various barriers have been identified, such as lack of data (Oduyemi, 2015), lack of tool awareness (Olsson, Malmqvist, & Glaumann, 2015), short-term horizons on building investments (Higham et al, 2015) and lack of knowledge on sustainability issues among practitioners (Häkkinen & Belloni, 2011;Olsson et al, 2015). One way forward suggested by Häkkinen and Belloni (2011) is to improve the understanding about procedural difficulties, who the involved actors are and their practical use of these tools.…”