Background

We are facing a demographic development with an increasing proportion of elderly people in our society. With challenges in competence provision as a consequence. Society has a limited amount of resources available to create and maintain our welfare.

In care, one measure could be to introduce more digital solutions to use the resources you have in an optimized way. In the long run, the goal is a dignified life and well-being for the elderly, cost-effective solutions for the municipality and a developing and attractive work environment for employees.

About the project

This project mapped, researched, analyzed and summarized the conditions that exist for a property to function as a hub for sharing data, which ultimately creates the conditions for resource optimization and better health.

Within the framework of the project, a digital twin was developed where data can be collected, put together and analyzed. The digital twin served as a test bed for the simulation of events, interventions and the development of new services and functions.

Through, among other things, technology and IoT in the property, data can be collected and then used to create value. The need for data collection comes from stakeholders with different motivations and areas of use. It can be about nursing, healthcare, technology, asset management, resource optimization, service services, business support /work tools, environment/, IoT.

The project's goal was to understand the conditions for data collection and the digital infrastructure. The project explored how data can be made available to different actors and create benefit in a controlled and innovation-promoting way (secure, standardized, efficient).

Lessons learned

The project gave us the knowledge to be able to prepare our properties in terms of construction technology and infrastructure to create increased safety and quality of life and a better working environment for employees. The experience can be used internally within the municipality for future procurement of new housing. As well as being returned to existing accommodation and future suppliers of real estate and technology.

The project's conditions

The project was carried out together with Haparanda, Hudiksvall municipality and Riksbyggen.

The work was carried out within The strategic innovation program IoT Sverige, 
a joint venture of Vinnova, Formas and Energimyndigheten.

Results

The guides consist of 6 quick guides that can be a guide and inspiration for those involved in the process of creating a new home for the elderly. You can find the quick guides on Riksbyggen's website

The construction industry is the second largest user of plastic, about 40% of all plastic produced. In Sweden, this corresponds to about 262,000 tonnes per year.  Although the plastic must be sorted separately at the construction site by law (since 2020), only 1,5% of the material is recycled, most of which goes to incineration. 

There it is a great need to increase the recycling of plastics in the construction sector and to use the plastic back into the construction sektor. Sorting out installation waste at construction sites is the best way to get back a high quality plastic for recycling back into same or similar construction products. However product standards and quality certificates often hinder use of recycled plastic even if the quality is high. Therefor we need to show that recycled plastic of the right quality fulfills the product demands and could be used in certified construction products.

Purpose and goal of the project: 

The project will develop certified pipes and bitumen roofs.

• New proposals for procurement criteria favouring construction products with a share of recycled plastics.

• Approved construction products from the project are implemented in construction projects.

• The manufacturers in the project have at least developed one certified product with recycled plastic.

• Results from the project and proposals of certification rules when using recycled plastics are presented to standardization bodies.

In the project, we will, together with the manufacturers of pipes and roof membraned, recyclers and distributors of recycled plastic raw materials, find material streams of suitable quality for long-term applications and stable deliveries over time. The manufacturers produce  products containing recycled plastics and we will test them to ensure that they meet current quality requirements and technical servicelife. 

In the construction industry, large volumes of plastic are used in sealing membranes in buildings as well as in infrastructure projects such as road, railway and tunnel construction. Age-resistant building foil aims to prevent moisture from traveling through building constructions made of wood, which is a common building material in Sweden and the Nordic countries. In both of these applications, large volumes of plastic are used, and by replacing a proportion of the plastic raw material with more recycled plastic, the carbon footprint could be greatly reduced. Since the plastic films and foils are built into constructions and are difficult to replace, the requirements for durability are very high and the products must last 50 years or more.

Uncertainty about how long recycled plastic lasts, as well as variations in the properties of the raw material, have meant that people have not dared to use recycled plastic in products intended for long-term applications. The development and expansion of recycling facilities has increased in recent years and there are high quality recycled plastics available. In previous research projects, we have investigated the durability of products with recycled plastic using accelerated aging with successful results.

In the Re-Membrane project, the project participants will develop and manufacture age-resistant film for buildings and tunnel membranes containing recycled plastic raw material. RISE will then perform accelerated aging and test the products for long-term applications. The purpose is to show whether recycled plastic also works for products that are to be used for a long time. A simplified Life Cycle Analysis will be carried out on the products to assess the environmental benefits of exchanging new raw materials for recycled ones. A survey of the use, occurrence of spills and recycling of geomembranes will also be carried out within the project. In conclusion, we will plan for a continuation project where more stakeholders are invited and the products can be tested in different construction projects.

Purpose

In the past decade, the construction industry has lagged behind other sectors in terms of digitalization, while attention has increased towards the industry's CO2 emissions and the opportunities arising with electrified and autonomous vehicles and machinery. Construction and infrastructure projects often consist of complex subsystems with independent suppliers, systems, and machines in their own ecosystems. To fully exploit the advantages of digitalization, the project will develop an intelligent System of Systems (iSoS) to connect the underlying systems.

The project has the target to advance the industry by:

• Facilitating interaction between autonomous and electrified machines
• Reducing incidents and accidents by integrating safety mechanisms into machines and systems
• Providing a reliable CO2 report for an entire project from production to completion
• Enhancing information exchange between different systems and making communication between systems more robust and efficient
• Digitizing more processes

Challenge 

Coordinating activities on construction sites is a crucial factor in maximizing productivity. Introducing autonomous and electrified machines to leverage the benefits of new technology requires a digital infrastructure to enable communication between machines on-site. Due to the interdependence of various systems handling data from each machine, there is a need for a clear standard of shared data and an agreement on how data should be used to achieve the goals.

The future technical development of the solution is linked to these focus areas:

• Model- and simulation-driven development and digitalization, including the use of digital twins
• Autonomous systems (development, optimization, and architecture for reliability and coordination)
• 5G networks and edge computing
• Integration of safety in the work environment and in CO2 reports

Expected Results

Since there are currently no existing or feasible iSoS solutions, we anticipate increased productivity and efficiency in the construction sector over time. The project is expected to develop concepts (TRL 2-3), orchestration through iSoS, the development of mechanisms and methods, and a demonstration of the solution's applicability on-site in the Slakthusområdet through visualization in the form of a film.

The project will demonstrate the possibilities of interoperable, scalable, and device- and supplier-independent operation of construction sites. Such a solution has the potential to be applied in other construction or infrastructure projects involving complex interactions between human and autonomous vehicles and systems.

Project Partners

Fredrik Cederstav, RISE

Ulf Håkansson, Skanska

Sasikumar Punnekkat, MDU

Christian Spjutare, Volvo CE

Joachim Sachs, Ericsson

This project examines whether, and the extent to which, individuals in different European contexts are willing to pay for urban housing amenities that encourage sharing. One pathway toward achieving the low-consumption goals of the Circular Economy is by sharing appliances, spaces, and facilities that are typically owned and accessed by isolated households.

European efforts to achieve the goals of the Circular Economy must reconcile a fast-growing cohort of single-person households. Each year more Europeans are living alone: Between 2009 and 2021, growth in the number of “single adult” households outpaced growth in all other household types by far, from 60.2 million to 76.7 million (27.4 percent growth) (Eurostat, 2022a). Meanwhile, in the same period “couple” households grew only about 4.0 percent and all other household types declined in number. “Single adult, childless” households now constitute the majority (50.9 percent) of total households in Sweden, 41 percent of households in the Netherlands, 34 percent of households in Slovenia, and approximately 36 percent of total households in the European Union (Eurostat, 2022b). In short: it has become increasingly common for individuals to live alone, in relatively larger units equipped with an exclusive set of appliances, accessories, and furniture. Residential sharing may help slow or reverse these trends, yet integrating such opportunities into residential development could be seen as a risk to housing developers as there is little knowledge about how consumers value different types of sharing opportunities in or near their home.

The primary goal of this study is thus to understand whether including shared-access amenities as part of a residential offering influences consumers’ willingness to pay for housing. 

Secondly, the study will examine in which contexts and with which customer segments housing developers and architects can profit by encouraging amenity sharing among residents. 

Thirdly, results will be compared to existing residential design standards and shared with building and design professionals to determine how sharing opportunities can be integrated systematically into future residential building projects. The study will use online surveys that help determine consumer preferences plus in-depth qualitative methods to examine how opportunities to share appliances, spaces, and other facilities influences individuals’ willingness to pay for urban housing. We will draw from large, randomized samples of adults in three countires: Sweden, The Netherlands, and Slovenia to determine how consumers' willingness to pay for residential sharing varies across international contexts. Sampling will allow researchers to test the influences of respondents' age, gender, income, household structure, and urban/suburban/rural location to identify potential customer segments for circular housing. Researchers from all three countries will collaborate with housing developers, architects, urban public authorities, and special interest groups to co-design survey items and data collection methods so that results offer insights into existing and upcoming residential development projects. Understanding whether, where, and among what types of customers the demand for circular housing solutions already exists could help encourage the production of circular housing options and speed up transitions for sustainability.

This project is managed by researchers at RISE Research Institiutes of Sweden. The Swedish research team will oversee project goals and coordinate budgeting, internal communication, and communication with funding agencies. RISE researchers will also contribute all other portions of the project including focus groups, article composition, and external communication. RISE researchers will be leading the core data collectioin and analysis portion of the project, specifically with regard to web-based surveys and choice modelling. RISE researchers will be supported by professionals from Krook & Tjäder Architects, MKB Fästigets (Malmö), and housing developer Riksbyggen. These industry partners will help develop a survey questions for Swedish housing consumers and ensure that the results of the research are delivered in a way that is relevant and inspiring to the Swedish housing industry.

Hemmaplan is a newly formed real estate company that develops and manages downtown properties and meeting places in neighborhoods with socio-economic challenges. The company's long-term goal is to contribute to positive social development in the areas where they own properties together with those who live and work there, as well as to show how positive social development can contribute to good business opportunities for the real estate company.

In October 2022, Hemmaplan took over as property owner in Gottsunda Centrum: a center facility that contains everything from shops, restaurants and cafes to office hotels, cultural center, health center, public dental care, family center as well as recurring events and festivals. This with the goal that Gottsunda Center should be an economically robust center environment that generates positive outcomes for both center visitors and the surrounding area, this in the form of values such as health, safety, employment, education and participation.

As part of this, RISE and Hemmaplan have established a joint research partnership and project with a focus on Gottsunda Centre. The purpose of the project is for RISE and Hemmaplan to together realize the latter's ability to conduct an even more inclusive, small-scale, fast-paced, communicative, scientifically based and needs- and data-driven working method that is integrated into the entire local line organization, which can then be scaled up to other properties that Hemmaplan owns.

The project's working method: action research

The project's overall working method is so-called action research. Action research means, firstly, that RISE contributes with learning, development efforts and qualitative process support. This takes place partly as a support function that challenges and supports the development work in Gottsunda. Partly by contributing to and testing new working methods and models in order to systematically and continuously design and follow up the effects of physical and social interventions and investments on the site. Action research means, secondly, that RISE simultaneously studies both Hemmaplan's way of organizing itself and the effects of the tests that the partners carry out together, this in dialogue with previous research in relevant fields.

The action researcher acts proactively by anticipating future situations, for example when a project effort risks not reaching its goals. In such a case, the task of the action researcher may be to create space for preventive measures by assisting with support for a management and organizational change.

The project's parts

The project consists of a number of overall parts.

1.  Current situation analysis: In dialogue with Hemmaplan, RISE conducts a current situation analysis of how the latter's work is organized with a focus on 1) how they currently invest in, design, implement and follow up their efforts and 2) how Gottsunda Center functions as a place. A theoretical framework is developed that gives the project participants a common frame of reference and conceptual apparatus.

2.  Theory of change: a so-called theory of change is developed that shows the change that the various parts of the project are supposed to contribute to in connection with Hemmaplan's goals. The theory of change helps Hemmaplan in the implementation of working methods and reporting of results.

3.  Trend & Scenario Model: A trend and scenario model is developed and applied by Hemmaplan continuously during the project as a way to systematically and continuously discuss possible future interventions and their effects, this as support for achieving Hemmaplan's goals and vision.

4.  Indicators and model for data collection and analysis: Indicators in the form of process measures (for example visitor statistics) and impact measures (for example perceived security) are developed, as well as methods for data collection and analysis. These are tested by Hemmaplan and RISE on a number of actual interventions and further developed accordingly.

5.  Analysis guidance: An analysis guidance aimed at Hemmaplan is drawn up, which aims to ensure Hemmaplan's conditions to continuously follow up and evaluate its operations on its own in the future.

6.  Universal design: A model for universal design is developed and tested. Universal design means that people with different individual requirements must be involved in social governance as early as possible and throughout the entire process. This via design solutions in the form of services, products and environments that respond to needs. In the case of Gottsunda centre, it is about both an accessible social living environment (being able to socialize and be part of context) and physical accessibility (being able to safely move through, stay in, and use both the indoor and outdoor environment). Universal design is as much about social and experience-based inclusion as physical, it must not only be possible to enter and use an environment, it must also be experienced as safe and inviting.

7.  Ongoing efforts - Tertiary follow-up: RISE carries out ongoing evaluations three times a year (tertially) based on the collection, analysis and reporting of data as well as follow-up efforts to support Hemmaplan's continued work.

Project organization

From RISE's side, a team of researchers and analysts with expertise in people's behaviors and experiences in downtown environments, universal design and accessible places, health and welfare issues, organization, management and control, social economy and qualitative and quantitative methodology participates.

These courses are held in Swedish. Please look at our Swedish site for more information