Efficient renewable sufficiency: A dense office transformation for resilient affordable housing

Abstract

Sustainability is discussed within almost every sector today, including architecture. It is widely known that there needs to be a change in how we live and consume resources, and plenty of ongoing efforts reflect this. Renewable energy and increased efficiency to reach net zero carbon or energy are repeatedly mentioned. However, there is rarely talk about change in habits or decreased consumption, even though the first studies on the subject came out over 50 years ago. Human emissions are, despite ongoing efforts, growing rapidly. Even with the technological development and green solutions emerging in many sectors, the improvements are devoured by the growing consumption. Buildings are a huge contributor to this situation, being a large polluter throughout their lifespan. Efficiency and renewables through technology and sustainable resources can only partly meet the need for reduced demand. With rebounds, limits and the need for complete net-zero, sufficiency in consumption is crucial for lowering the impact of the use of goods and services. For buildings, sufficiency means density, flexibility in design, co-use of spaces and appliances, and repurposing old buildings, combined with efficiency in ventilation, conditioning and lighting, all achieved with sustainable materials and renewable energy. This project transforms an office building in Gothenburg to accessible, affordable housing with a low environmental footprint through the implementation of these interventions. This is achieved through case studies, an iterative design process with testing and evaluation, and finally optimising a design regarding construction, efficiency, and renewables. This results in a low-impact co-living solution emphasising sufficiency in shared design, achieved in combination with efficient technology and renewable solutions. The project shows that through adaptive reuse of empty offices, dense affordable housing while maintaining design quality is possible by combining the three concepts. Furthermore, the thesis explores and reflects upon challenges within transformation, and the different ways to implement sufficiency in design.