Case Study: Brogården Housing Estate

Short Description

The project ‘Brogården’ aims to create a sustainable area of housing that promotes social integration. A major component in this is that older people should be able to remain living in the area and not be compelled to move to special housing. Other objectives are that the use of energy should be reduced and that an affordable increase in rent for the residents is established.

The project was commenced with a survey being conducted of the area to illustrate Brogården's qualities and its ‘soul’. Through this survey, inadequacies in these aspects could be identified. Based on these, analyses of Brogården’s needs were conducted. Customer focus groups with residents were also carried out, and also a partnership with the elderly care services, municipal management, child care services and schools, association activities and the Social Welfare Administration. The customer focus groups were arranged through meetings with an idea workshop for the residents. After the renovation, Brogården will be rebuilt as a passive house

Key Elements

Certification

After the housing company previously implemented renovations that did not result in very great changes in the use of energy, Alingsåshem decided to instead try a passive house. The rebuilding of Brogården as a passive house means that the use of energy is estimated to reduce by 60% and the tenants will then also have a greater opportunity to influence the use of energy through their consumption.

Capacity Building

Alingsåshem gained many different pre-existing skills through the partnership, but also arranged partner training and technical training

Work with Residents

Alingsåshem has informed residents in the area about energy saving through its Brogårdsbladet (Brogård Newsheet). Personal meetings with residents have also been arranged on an ongoing weekly basis, which will probably continue after the project has been concluded. Alingsåshem views this contact with the residents as an important part of learning to know the residents and their needs.

Funding

Alingsåshem has obtained almost one million Swedish Krona from the Swedish Energy Agency for the rebuilding of Brogården. The housing company estimates that the repayment period will be ten to twelve years.

Electricity Saving Products

Following the rebuilding as a passive house, all electrical products will have the highest energy performance. Energy saving fridges, freezers and washing machines have reduced electricity consumption dramatically.

Main Results

Alingsåshem considers that the most important effect of the project is that the number of people who can remain living in their apartments in the area can increase. Each resident who cannot continue to live in their apartment, but must move to special housing, costs the municipality SEK 500,000 per year. If they instead remain resident, this will only cost SEK 150,000 per year per resident, which means that SEK 350,000 per year can be saved in respect of each such resident who continues to live in their apartment. This is a long-term but important effect of the project, which is based on the greatest proportion of older people in Brogården being able to remain living in the area. Another effect is that the energy use is estimated to reduce from 216 kWh to 92 kWh per square metre, which is better than new building standards.

Lessons learned

Alingsåshem does not consider that the project should have been structured differently, and is satisfied with the arrangement of the contractor partnership. This partnership meant that the method of working could be refined during the process, but decisions that were made earlier in the project were nonetheless appropriate at that phase. New experience was created during the course of the work but the housing company did not wish to change anything afterwards.  
A strong point with the project is that the objectives go hand in hand; economic, environmental and social aspects, for example energy and accessibility, are areas that to a large extent overlap with each other.

The weak points are that the housing company did not have the right skills at the beginning of the project. Alingsåshem also chose at the beginning of the project to focus only on one building in the area, and it was subsequently concluded that this was not the right method. Considering that the area is joined together, the buildings must also be studied as a whole to enable a sustainability perspective to influence Brogården.

Additional Information

Brogården has had around 400 to 500 study visits since the project started, and Alingsåshem believes that the area has inspired many. One reason for this may be the holistic approach that was used for the project, which is not yet so very widespread in Sweden.

Investments will also be made in a solar power plant connected to the district heating.