Projektdetaljer
Beskrivelse
This industrial Ph.D.-project explores how new buildings may be designed to last with a reduced need for material consumption from replacements, renovations, and adaptive reuses over a 200-year lifespan. This question is explored through analyses of the histories/archaeologies of material change across 200+ year old buildings from construction till present, tracing relationships between people, matter, and conceptions of time.
By numbers, buildings’ appetite for change and new materials is seen in the size of the Danish renovation industry that is about 65% larger the new constructions industry (Rasmussen and Birgisdottir 2015). Measured by environmental impacts, 60-65% of the renovation industry’s carbon footprint comes from the fabrication of new materials (Andersen 2023). The Danish building code’s LCA-requirements do not include the module “B5: Refurbishment”, and only take the first 50 years of building lifespans into account, whereas CO2-emissions from renovations would triple if the timeframe was extended by just 30 years (Zimmermann et al. 2020). In this respect, changes to buildings during their occupancy-stage are overlooked in Danish policy and practice, as well as globally (Crespi and Persiani 2019). Future generations will inherit our ‘hungry’ buildings, yet, the supply of raw materials those generations will have at hand is much more limited than at present (Seifi 2021). How, then, do we expand “architecture’s public” to include future generations as our “informal clients”, so our buildings are better fit to respond to future desires with minimum material needs? (De Carlo 2005; Hentzer Dausgaard 2019)
Research on preindustrial buildings indicate longer component lifespans and lower material uses than seen in buildings after the industrialisation of building construction, in Denmark particularly post-1950 (Bak-Andersen 2020; Eybye 2016; Xuereb and Parkin 2016). There is a gap of knowledge on why preindustrial building practices withstood the pressures of time to greater extends than buildings of a contemporary building culture, and what design aspects have enabled them to do so with a minimum of material change.
The Ph.D.-project uses a research-by-design methodology (Prominski and Seggern 2019) in three overlapping phases to:
1. Identify tendencies of resource flows quantitatively, mainly in 200+ year old preindustrial buildings with long transformation histories in urban Denmark, and qualitatively explore what design hierarchies and -principles affect the level of material change, and what margins of change are needed to accommodate user needs over time (a.o. comfort levels, transformations, technological advancement).
2. Derive and adapt design principles to be feasible in terms of building codes, CO2-emission requirements, life cycle costs, and overall buildability.
3. Iteratively test and develop design principles in practice through current projects of the host company RØNNOW LETH & GORI through all design phases with project teams and collaborators.
Ultimately, with this knowledge, the project aims to operationalise design principles of lasting architecture with minimum material use, to realise buildings of higher architectural quality and with lower environmental impacts and whole life costs.
Advisors
Aarhus School of Architecture | Professors Mogens A. Morgen, Marie F. Hvejsel, and Lotte B. Jensen.
RØNNOW LETH & GORI | Karsten Gori and Inge-Lise Kragh, partners and architects MAA
Third Parties
Byggeri København | Lisa Jørgensen, senior project manager
Eduard Troelsgård Consulting Engineers | Tom Hansen, partner/director, HVAC/plumbing engineer
Advisory Group
Freja Ejendomme (Danish State’s Property Company) | Ninette Mahler Alto, Head of Sustainability
Realdania | Thomas Waras Brogren, Head of Projects
Værdibyg (The Danish Association of Construction Clients) | Rolf Simonsen, Program Director
Værdibyg (The Danish Association of Construction Clients) | Nina Koch-Ørvad, Project Manager
Byggeskadefonden (The Danish Construction Defects Fund) | Charlotte Gudum, Head of Sustainability
GI (The Landowners' Investment Foundation Denmark) | Søren Meyer, Head of Innovation
Aaen Engineering | Owner and founder, Micki Aaen, sustainability engineer
The project is supported by the Innovation Fund Denmark.
By numbers, buildings’ appetite for change and new materials is seen in the size of the Danish renovation industry that is about 65% larger the new constructions industry (Rasmussen and Birgisdottir 2015). Measured by environmental impacts, 60-65% of the renovation industry’s carbon footprint comes from the fabrication of new materials (Andersen 2023). The Danish building code’s LCA-requirements do not include the module “B5: Refurbishment”, and only take the first 50 years of building lifespans into account, whereas CO2-emissions from renovations would triple if the timeframe was extended by just 30 years (Zimmermann et al. 2020). In this respect, changes to buildings during their occupancy-stage are overlooked in Danish policy and practice, as well as globally (Crespi and Persiani 2019). Future generations will inherit our ‘hungry’ buildings, yet, the supply of raw materials those generations will have at hand is much more limited than at present (Seifi 2021). How, then, do we expand “architecture’s public” to include future generations as our “informal clients”, so our buildings are better fit to respond to future desires with minimum material needs? (De Carlo 2005; Hentzer Dausgaard 2019)
Research on preindustrial buildings indicate longer component lifespans and lower material uses than seen in buildings after the industrialisation of building construction, in Denmark particularly post-1950 (Bak-Andersen 2020; Eybye 2016; Xuereb and Parkin 2016). There is a gap of knowledge on why preindustrial building practices withstood the pressures of time to greater extends than buildings of a contemporary building culture, and what design aspects have enabled them to do so with a minimum of material change.
The Ph.D.-project uses a research-by-design methodology (Prominski and Seggern 2019) in three overlapping phases to:
1. Identify tendencies of resource flows quantitatively, mainly in 200+ year old preindustrial buildings with long transformation histories in urban Denmark, and qualitatively explore what design hierarchies and -principles affect the level of material change, and what margins of change are needed to accommodate user needs over time (a.o. comfort levels, transformations, technological advancement).
2. Derive and adapt design principles to be feasible in terms of building codes, CO2-emission requirements, life cycle costs, and overall buildability.
3. Iteratively test and develop design principles in practice through current projects of the host company RØNNOW LETH & GORI through all design phases with project teams and collaborators.
Ultimately, with this knowledge, the project aims to operationalise design principles of lasting architecture with minimum material use, to realise buildings of higher architectural quality and with lower environmental impacts and whole life costs.
Advisors
Aarhus School of Architecture | Professors Mogens A. Morgen, Marie F. Hvejsel, and Lotte B. Jensen.
RØNNOW LETH & GORI | Karsten Gori and Inge-Lise Kragh, partners and architects MAA
Third Parties
Byggeri København | Lisa Jørgensen, senior project manager
Eduard Troelsgård Consulting Engineers | Tom Hansen, partner/director, HVAC/plumbing engineer
Advisory Group
Freja Ejendomme (Danish State’s Property Company) | Ninette Mahler Alto, Head of Sustainability
Realdania | Thomas Waras Brogren, Head of Projects
Værdibyg (The Danish Association of Construction Clients) | Rolf Simonsen, Program Director
Værdibyg (The Danish Association of Construction Clients) | Nina Koch-Ørvad, Project Manager
Byggeskadefonden (The Danish Construction Defects Fund) | Charlotte Gudum, Head of Sustainability
GI (The Landowners' Investment Foundation Denmark) | Søren Meyer, Head of Innovation
Aaen Engineering | Owner and founder, Micki Aaen, sustainability engineer
The project is supported by the Innovation Fund Denmark.
Lægmandssprog
If we design buildings to age well, and to withstand the forces of time, we can save the environment from the vicious circle of resource overconsumption for many generations of users to come.
The skeletons of new buildings today last about 200 years and could probably survive atomic wars, yet their organs, veins, and flesh wither at the speed of fast fashion if they are not constantly fed new materials. This high metabolism of new buildings is deep-wired into their design DNA. But it has a high price. Close to half of global environmental impacts come from the building industry, and in Denmark, the largest contributor in the sector is the use of new materials for renovations. In other words, buildings’ appetite for new materials during their use-phase is the gatekeeper of a green transition of the building industry.
Buildings didn’t always have such a high metabolism. Vividly present in preindustrial buildings, the design knowledge to resist the pressures of time and ensure a low material use, has evolved over centuries of gleaning and refining. If we identify the DNA of low metabolism design in such best practice cases, as well as understand what margins of change are needed for future proofing, we can adapt this knowledge to suit current building regulations and construction techniques, and use them in the design of new buildings today.
Provisional results already show this approach could reduce environmental impacts of the building metabolism to as much as a tenth. This is also really good news for long-term owners and users who will save money otherwise spend on tedious renovations. For future generations facing depletion of key materials, our buildings will be ready to adapt to their needs with a minimum of resources required.
The skeletons of new buildings today last about 200 years and could probably survive atomic wars, yet their organs, veins, and flesh wither at the speed of fast fashion if they are not constantly fed new materials. This high metabolism of new buildings is deep-wired into their design DNA. But it has a high price. Close to half of global environmental impacts come from the building industry, and in Denmark, the largest contributor in the sector is the use of new materials for renovations. In other words, buildings’ appetite for new materials during their use-phase is the gatekeeper of a green transition of the building industry.
Buildings didn’t always have such a high metabolism. Vividly present in preindustrial buildings, the design knowledge to resist the pressures of time and ensure a low material use, has evolved over centuries of gleaning and refining. If we identify the DNA of low metabolism design in such best practice cases, as well as understand what margins of change are needed for future proofing, we can adapt this knowledge to suit current building regulations and construction techniques, and use them in the design of new buildings today.
Provisional results already show this approach could reduce environmental impacts of the building metabolism to as much as a tenth. This is also really good news for long-term owners and users who will save money otherwise spend on tedious renovations. For future generations facing depletion of key materials, our buildings will be ready to adapt to their needs with a minimum of resources required.
Status | Igangværende |
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Effektiv start/slut dato | 01/11/2022 → 31/10/2026 |