Sustainable construction is material- and energy-efficient and aims for our wellbeing
Sustainable construction requires multi-professional expertise
Sustainable construction aims for a balanced living environment for both people and nature that will remain healthy for future generations as well. Sweco designs carbon-neutral living environments that preserve biodiversity and support people’s wellbeing and smooth everyday life. At Sweco, healthy living environments are created by architects, structural and building services engineers, indoor air and concrete researchers, quality assurance professionals and project management. We also carry out sustainable industrial planning and consultation for production development and industrial plant projects.
Carbon neutrality and smart energy are involved in sustainable development in construction and industry
Sustainable construction refers to material- and energy-efficient construction that produces long-lived buildings, traffic and infrastructure solutions and industrial plants.
The core principle of sustainable construction is aiming for carbon neutrality and climate change mitigation. As sustainable construction becomes more commonplace, carbon footprint calculations and renewable energy solutions are involved in an increasing number of building projects. In such projects, reducing emissions and recycling can mitigate climate change effectively. The EU aims to increase the circular economy rate of the construction sector to 70%. We support resource efficiency by promoting more efficient use of materials and energy and the recycling and reuse of products and waste among other things with improving circular economy in demolition projects. At the same time, we create sustainable business, use natural resources sustainably and preserve biodiversity.
At Sweco, we are the pioneers in the digitalisation of construction. Our consultants use the latest digital tools to carry out carbon footprint calculations, e.g. for our clients’ construction and industrial projects. This way, we can find means of improving energy efficiency before the project even starts, and we can assess the realisation of low-carbon or carbon neutrality goals during the project and in building maintenance. Our lifecycle solution and energy consultation services can be applied to an individual building, an industrial plant or whole areas. Structural designers optimise and save materials and make use of hybrid expertise at various sites.
We design safe and socially sustainable living environments
Sustainable construction must always pay attention to the human perspective: social sustainability. The ever-accelerating climate change also draws our attention to the importance of social sustainability. Socially sustainable and safe residential areas promote equality and accessibility, pay attention to different groups of people and support residents’ wellbeing in their everyday lives. These include sustainable transport infrastructure, buildings that support health and wellbeing, and proximity to nature.
Sweco uses the latest innovations and technologies so that we can plan and help implement economically and socially sustainable living environments. We have developed digital calculation and information modelling tools that ensure high-quality planning. Local residents are always at the heart of sustainable planning, and we want to promote their wellbeing.
Preparing for climate change is essential in sustainable construction
Preparing for climate change is essential in sustainable construction
We have already seen suffocating heatwaves, heavy wind and increased rainfall, even flooding, in Europe. Extreme weather conditions and other consequences of climate change must be taken into consideration as they pose challenges for buildings and the soil. Weather conditions should also be taken into account in the mobility, social sustainability and economic development of an area.
Sweco works with its partners to build sustainable living environments where the impact of climate change is taken into consideration. Our best professionals model weather risks, such as heavy rain, snow load and heat, in the planning of buildings, residential areas and infrastructure.
Biodiversity must be taken into consideration in both urban and industrial planning
In the future, cities will be increasingly significant living environments that will house two thirds of the world’s population. Sustainable construction and urban planning can support biodiversity in cities and harness ecosystem services to support the wellbeing of both people and the environment. Essential solutions for conserving biodiversity include land use planning and the preservation of blue and green zones.
At Sweco, we pay attention to biodiversity in all our projects. Our project planning always involves complex environmental analyses that also deal with biodiversity. The preservation of biodiversity is always assessed when choosing a location for a new industrial plant or a wind power plant, for example. With the help of the biodiversity tool developed by Sweco, the biodiversity status of projects can be analysed at the pre-planning stage.
We accelerate the transition to sustainable circular economy cities and living environments
Circular economy is growing increasingly important throughout society and in all industries. Circular economy solutions aim for the sustainable and efficient recycling of materials. They mitigate the impact of climate change and loss of biodiversity while also being economically and socially sustainable. For their part, increasingly expensive materials and more ambitious climate goals have accelerated the transition to residential areas that follow circular economy. Buildings in circular economy cities and urban settlements are adaptable and sustainable, and their waste streams are integrated into the energy systems.
Solutions designed by Sweco always aim to support buildings’ adaptation to climate change and reduce the negative environmental impact of residential areas. This is supported by the material choices of structural planners and architects, for example, which can make a great difference for projects’ emissions. Our building services engineering experts design buildings that are increasingly energy-efficient. We always aim to boost circular economy through our operations. Our skilled circular economy consultants advise clients on everything from the construction of living environments and industrial sites to circular economy strategies, material management and efficient waste circulation.