Detailed development plans often specify detailed requirements for building design and materials, which can limit the possibility of using reused building components with varying dimensions and properties. The building permit process can also make reuse more difficult, as the requirements for documentation, technical and aesthetic performance can be more difficult to meet for used materials than for new ones when applying for a permit. We simply do not know exactly what materials we will have access to until closer to the start of construction.

“We need to start thinking more flexibly about dimensions, materials, and solutions so that reuse can be integrated from the outset of the project and continuously throughout the process,” says Andreas Huss.

Demolition permits and demolition processes are another obstacle. Demolition is often carried out with a focus on efficiency, which reduces the possibility of selective dismantling and reuse, despite requirements for material inventory.
 

When the detailed development plan becomes a tool for reuse

Within the Återhus innovation project, led by RISE, stakeholders have tested the reuse of heavy building components—in practice, “building houses from houses”—and thereby highlighted exactly which policies and processes affect the possibilities in detailed plans, building permits, and demolition permits. One of the demonstration projects within Återhus is located in central Lindome, where Förbo is developing an existing residential area with 344 apartments in need of renovation, accessibility adaptation, and densification.

“From an early stage, the focus was on preserving as much of the existing structure as possible. Sustainability is an overarching owner directive for us, but reuse in particular was developed more as a practical and ethically motivated necessity than as a formal requirement. Demolishing existing buildings is both sensitive and bad for the environment. We are both proud of and see it as a necessity to be involved in driving development forward to reduce the climate footprint of the construction sector, says Anna Olá, property development manager at Förbo.

In the end, a plan was agreed that would allow nine buildings to be demolished and replaced, but with a clear ambition to create flexibility for future stages.

“The planning horizon is so long, and a detailed plan that locks in the exact design 15–20 years ahead risks becoming wrong when the world and needs change. How can we find another way forward for more adaptable planning?” says Petter Lodmark, Architect at QPG Arkitektur, which is collaborating with Förbo on the Lindome project.  

“Like putting together a puzzle”

From an architectural perspective, reuse changes the logic of planning. When you start looking at dismantling load-bearing parts, it becomes clear that the new house cannot be “designed as usual” and then filled with reused materials afterwards. Petter describes how the dimensions and direction of joists and elements affect the framework of the plan, and that the property limits must allow room to experiment with volumes and dimensions when you know exactly what you will get from the dismantling.

"Working with reuse is like putting together a puzzle where the pieces are not always perfect. That's why it's crucial that we don't lock in the detailed plan at an early stage, but build in options so that we can choose and adapt according to the materials and dimensions that actually become available. For us architects, reuse means lots of opportunities for new forms, which is incredibly exciting," says Petter Lodmark.

Anna Olá concludes:

"The biggest lesson we have learned and will take with us into future processes is to build in opportunities to choose, both in terms of design, economy, and technology, and to include this flexibility in the planning regulations so that we do not lock ourselves in.

What needs to change in the system?

To scale up reuse, a system change is needed where regulations and market models are developed together. The Återbrukslogik (Reuse Logic) project, led by RISE, addresses precisely this core issue: effective market models for reuse must interact with regulations, and municipal processes for demolition and building permits can be developed into tools that accelerate the transition.

"The project identifies two key levers: demolition permits, which, with standardization and digitization, can provide a better understanding of which building components and materials will be available and when, in what quantity and quality—making business and logistics easier. And building permits, which, with step-by-step decisions, an established quality level, and early “enabling notices,” can provide time to match materials from demolition with new construction projects," says Andreas Huss.

From ambition to implementation with the support of RISE

RISE helps you move from ambition to implementation—and create reuse that is legally, technically, and commercially viable. Within the Center for Quality Assured Reuse in the Construction Sector, construction companies gain access to expertise throughout the entire reuse chain: from inventory and resource mapping to testing, certification, requirements setting, and circular business development.

>> Center for Quality Assured Reuse in the Construction Sector | RISE

Burnt-down houses, a smouldering landscape, and black, toxic smoke. Typical characteristics of devastating forest fire. Doesn't it feel like we're seeing it more and more often?

'There aren’t actually more fires, but they are more costly. In terms of global fire frequency and area burned, they are not greater now than 25 years ago. However, the number of fire disasters is increasing. These are fires that either kill many people or have very serious consequences for the country's gross domestic product’, says Johan Sjöström, a RISE researcher specialising in forest fires and their fuels, ignition, behaviour, and societal impact.

The increase in fire severity can largely be attributed to climate change. As the Earth's temperature rises, so does the risk of fire. Relative humidity decreases, sucking the moisture out of dead surface material.

‘Accompanying climate change is an increased amount of fuel. This originates from several different factors. In France and Spain, where we have seen major fire disasters in recent years, the affected areas have historically been heavily cultivated landscapes used for small-scale agriculture or grazing', says Johan Sjöström, continuing:

However, small-scale farms are no longer economically viable and are therefore abandoned. In their place, the land is instead transitioned to forest plantations, often comprising highly flammable trees such as pine, or residential areas, where shade from evergreen trees close to houses are common. Many small farms are also simply left as they are, shifting over time to grass- and shrublands as vegetations grows.

Deciduous trees are an inexpensive way to reduce fire risk

To address this problem, climate change must be mitigated and land use follow more resilient and smarter strategies. The number of natural fire barriers provided by open landscapes needs to increase.

Taking France and Spain as examples again, the number of preventive, controlled fires in strategic locations should be increased. During the winter months, areas can be burned to limit the availability of highly flammable fuel during the next hot summer,' explains Johan Sjöström.

Although controlled burning is used to create firebreaks in southern Europe, Sweden relies on other methods to reduce fire risk.

The cheapest and most effective method is to leave a certain proportion of birch trees standing during the thinning process. Pine forests with some inclusion of spruce are the most fire-prone in our landscapes. But even a small amount of birch can significantly reduce their fire risk. 'If every tenth tree in the coniferous forest is a birch, the fire risk decreases by a third,' says Johan Sjöström.

The great thing is that forest owners don't need to work to achieve this effect. Birch trees are typically established via wind-borne seeds, so you just need to work a little less with the chain saw.

RISE maps and analyses forest and grass fires

Another way to reduce the risk of forest fires is to create barriers of deciduous trees along roads by allowing birch trees to grow in ditches. This enables the emergency services to stop fires from spreading to more flammable coniferous trees from the road.

RISE has extensive knowledge of forest and grass fires. Johan Sjöström and his research colleague, Frida Vermina Plathner, assist various authorities in producing documentation such as reports that map trends and patterns relating to forest and grass fires in Sweden.

We can also produce risk maps and vulnerability analyses for specific areas, such as a municipality. Currently, municipalities primarily allocate resources to their emergency services to enhance firefighting capabilities, which is understandable. However, Johan Sjöström notes that there is much to be gained from preventively limiting the flammability of the ground.

Who will pay for changes to land use in order to adapt to climate change?

‘We already have quite strict legislation in place. Following storms, landowners must clear fallen trees to minimise the risk of spruce bark beetle infestation. After felling, the land must be reforested. To increase the proportion of deciduous trees, we could introduce a rule on tree species composition, as already stipulated in FSC environmental certification,” argues Johan Sjöström.

Economic instruments can also be used to reduce the risk of fire. The authorities currently provide support for the restoration of wetlands. Similar support could be used for the aforementioned deciduous tree barriers.

'It is, of course, impossible to say how big the fire would have been without preventive measures, but we do know that adapting land use to climate change is both cheap and effective,' says Johan Sjöström.