In May, Lodz will host a unique international event aimed at people whose mission is to change cities for the better — Urban Future. We talk about how the Norwegians approach these changes and what we can learn from them (with concrete examples!) with the event's guest — Pia Bodhal of FutureBuilt, an initiative focused on developing carbon-neutral urban areas and high-quality architecture.
Ola Kloc: What does FutureBuilt do?
Pia Bodahl: Since the start of FutureBuilt in 2010, pilot projects have been used as a strategy for changing the way buildings and urban areas are developed, believing that good examples are important for making a change. Our goal is to complete 100 pilot projects by 2030 that go beyond the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement targets, and always reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 percent compared to standard practice.
Our main target group are the developers, but finding new solutions first of all depends on a project group who is willing to go that extra mile looking for what is new. All FutureBuilt projects must have innovative showcase qualities, and for each project we discuss what new solutions can be explored and where there is a potential for breaking new ground.
Ola Kloc: In 15 years you have already completed 44 pilot projects, what kind of facilities or spaces have they involved? Do they have a common denominator, something that unites them in terms of the challenges of efforts to reduce carbon emissions?
Pia Bodahl: Our pilot projects are both public and commercial, dealing with housing, office buildings, schools, kindergartens, cultural centres, cycling projects and neigbourhoods.
All pilot project needs to fulfil certain criteria. Some of the criteria are mandatory for all FutureBuilt projects, such as working with transport, energy and materials, while others are optional, like biodiversity and plastic reduction.
The FutureBuilt projects share the common goal of serving as a learning and innovation arena for all involved parties — municipalities, developers, designers, and contractors — while also acting as a showcase both nationally and internationally. The pilot projects contribute to the development of new working methods and create a market for new, green products and solutions, while also providing knowledge and experience that serve as a foundation for shaping new regulations. As FutureBuilt is an innovation arena, we expect the pilot projects to consistently push well beyond today's practices in the construction industry.
Ola Kloc: One of the projects planned according to the FutureBuilt criteria is the Munch Museum in Oslo, tell us more about it.
Pia Bodahl: The MUNCH museum is based on the idea of a tower-shaped museum, where the main functions are organized vertically. 60 metres in height, clad in recycled, perforated aluminium panels of varying degrees of translucency, and with its leaning top section, the tower is a highly visible landmark from all sides.
Edvard Munch Museum in Oslo, proj.: Herreros Arquitectos
photo: Einar Aslaksen | © MUNCH museum
The tower, which sits on a three-storey podium, has two zones: one static and one dynamic. The static zone is an enclosed concrete structure, which complies with stringent security, humidity and daylight requirements in order to protect the art within. The dynamic zone, which has an open, transparent façade with views over the city, is where visitors can move between the different exhibition areas.
Edvard Munch Museum in Oslo, proj.: Herreros Arquitectos
photo: Einar Aslaksen | © MUNCH museum
The structure with its two zones features airlocks to control temperature and humidity at the points of transition between the dynamic and static zones. These systems allow the use of energy-saving, natural ventilation in the dynamic zone. In addition, the enclosed east-facing façade avoids excessive heating during the summer.
MUNCH has been built using low-carbon concrete and recycled steel, and its loadbearing structure has been designed with a technical lifetime of 200 years. In addition, the building complies with passive house building standards. In other words, energy consumption is reduced with the assistance of passive measures such as additional heat recovery, extremely well-insulated windows and excellent insulation. The wavy aluminium panels screen sunlight effectively, and also reflect and refract sunlight to avoid excessive temperature fluctuations.
Interior of the Edvard Munch Museum in Oslo, proj.: Herreros Arquitectos
photo: Einar Aslaksen | © MUNCH museum
Ola Kloc: Your activities are not limited to new developments, you are also involved in the renovation of existing buildings, as in the case of the Kristian Augusts gate 13 (KA13) project. How did you manage to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from materials by 70 percent in this case?
Pia Bodahl: To succeed in reducing the construction sectors´ climate footprint it is crucial to shift the industry from linear use and production towards a more sustainable production based on recycling and reuse of existing building stock.
Kristian Augusts gate 13 in Oslo - a landmark reuse project that saw a 1950s building retrofitted according to FutureBuilt criteria for circular buildings
Photo: Kyrre Sundal | © Mad arkitekter
KA13 in Oslo is a ground-breaking re-use project where a building from the 1950s has been upgraded in accordance with FutureBuilt’s criteria for circular buildings. By reusing nearly 80 per cent of the materials, KA13 cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 70 per cent, and the project has made reuse a topic throughout the entire construction industry in Norway.
The project focused on reusing building components from the existing structure, such as the load-bearing system and radiators while also incorporating building elements from other projects, so called «donor buildings». The used building materials were sourced from over 25 buildings, which were either buildings undergoing renovation or demolition. In addition, materials also came from ordering mistakes in other projects. The concept of re-purposing was also central to the project, meaning that both the new and the pre-existing construction materials were selected for their suitability in unspecified projects in the future. The developer has made a findings report, which you can find on futurebuilt.no.
KA13 - the original tiles were uncovered, cleaned and refilled, the reception counter was made of Corian boards, a material that can be easily reused or recycled by welding smaller pieces into larger pieces, the boards came from an old school
Photo: Tove Lauluten
Ola Kloc: Please tell us about the Sirkulær Ressurssentral initiative. Do regulations in Norway support the use of used building materials? How do you deal with their durability or certification?
Pia Bodahl: Sirkulær Ressurssentral is a public-private partnership and non-profit organization, dedicated to promoting the reuse of building materials. They manage approximately 7,000 m² of storage space for used building materials. Most of the materials are made available through an online store, but part of the space is rented out as temporary storage for specific stakeholders. A digital platform for sharing and learning has also been established, aiming to raise awareness and knowledge about the reuse of building materials.
Norwegian regulations support the use of used materials, provided they meet established documentation and performance standards. Certifications help ensure that reused materials are durable and safe for incorporation into new construction projects.
Ola Kloc: On the website you highlight: "Building sustainably is not only about measuring greenhouse gas emissions – it is also about making attractive and livable neigbhourhoods and engaging residents and users in the development process" – how do you manage to achieve this?
Pia Bodahl: Building with a focus on social sustainability means creating inclusive, safe, and vibrant communities where people thrive and enjoy good living conditions. In order to achieve this, all FutureBuilt pilot projects must conduct a socio-cultural site analysis and involve the users in the development process. The way this is conducted differ from project to project.
Fyrstikkbakken 14 - the complex consists of four cross-laminated timber buildings with different sized apartments for people in different living situations, with this project the developers, Birk & Co. and AF Eiendom, have pioneered and are testing future housing concepts
Photo: Veronika Moen, AF Eiendom, Birk & co.
In the housing prosject Fyrstikkbakken 14, for instance, the developer conducted extensive participatory processes before and during the project to understand what potenial residents value the most. What do people need in their flat and what can be shared with the neigbours?
Fyrstikkbakken - all four terraces are shared by residents, and each has different functions: one has a sauna and sun loungers overlooking the city, another has exercise equipment, a children's play area and a garden
Photo: Veronika Moen, AF Eiendom, Birk & co.
The outcome of the workshops affected the programming of the apartment blocks, and among the amenities available to the residents are a guest apartment, a sauna, and a community room. However, the participation process also showed an interest in sharing flats with friends, and therefore the developer also built some flats suitable for sharing.
Ola Kloc: You will be a guest of Ubran Future in Lodz — what would your dream urban future look like?
Pia Bodahl: I think my dream urban future would be if we could create neigbourhooods that manage to meet people's needs without exceeding the planet's limits.
Ubran Future in Lodz
© organizers archive
Ola Kloc: Thank you for the interview.
