Potential of collaboration in the design process for better building energy performance: Exploring the role of energy consultants in the early phases using Skanska as a case

Abstract

The climate crisis and energy crisis are more prevalent than ever, and both the European Union and Sweden have set goals to try to mitigate this. The construction sector is one of the main contributors to these crises, buildings historically have had a considerably high energy consumption and energy usage in the operational phase has a negative impact on the climate. It has also been proven that the people involved in the design process significantly impact the final building. Energy consultants have further expressed a lack of prioritisation of the energy question in commercial buildings. Therefore, it was relevant to study if earlier involvement of energy through better collaboration could have an impact on the energy performance. The master thesis aims to optimise the energy performance of buildings through an empirical study focused on the collaboration between developing actors and energy consultants in the design process, with a specific focus on energy consultants. The case study was conducted at Skanska, one of Sweden's largest construction companies with a global presence. The research combines a literature study and an interview study to investigate the design process at Skanska, the roles of various actors involved, and the coordination of energy throughout the design process. The findings reveal diverse perspectives and variations in understanding the same processes based on role and department. The absence of a standardised approach to energy coordination is attributed to unclear roles, differing viewpoints, varying levels of knowledge, economic factors, and habits. As a contribution, this thesis provides guidelines for companies seeking to enhance collaboration and optimise energy performance in buildings. The guidelines emphasise building relationships and trust through marketing, conducting regular educational energy workshops across departments, involving energy consultants early in brief discussions, add incentives for in-house collaboration, designating a contact person, and standardising internal documents to align energy considerations in new construction.