Conference article

In Sweden; the transition of the society from agricultural to industrial occupation caused millions of people to move from the country-side into cities and in the 1960-ies and 1970-ies a broad building construction program was performed in order to build 1 million new dwellings in Sweden. However; these buildings are now after 40 years under urgent need of refurbishment and therefore offer a great opportunity for being supplied with modern and efficient construction details and heating systems. An example of such a project is the refurbishment of residential buildings in the quarter Brogården of Alingsås; were 16 buildings with 300 dwellings are to be converted from 1970-standards to modern passive house standards. The housing company Alingsåshem has in partnership with the construction company Skanska and under the consultancy of efem architects and the local Passive House Centrum started a refurbishment project for Brogården. The project involves the extensive renovation of the buildings with passive house techniques; and includes the installation of new façades and roofs; thicker insulation and new ventilation systems. The refurbished buildings do not use conventional heating systems and require very little energy for space heating. Hot water is primarily produced by solar energy; peak load energy is supplied by district heating.

Building refurbishment; Passive house; Energy efficiency; Urban development