Towards Sustainable Renovation: Three Research Projects

The focus of this dissertation is on existing housingareas: in industrialized western countries, thenumber of existing buildings that are taken care of, renovated or restructured for other functions ishigher than the number of new buildings. This is a review dissertation, based on empiricalmaterial and further reflections from previousresearch projects dealing with Swedish housingrenovation: from old single-family housing areas tolarge housing areas from the 1950s, 60s and 70s. The concepts of careful renovation, environmentally-friendly renovation and sustainablerenovation are analyzed as different approaches tohousing renovation. The aim is to present aninterpretation of sustainable renovation thatincludes the goals both of careful renovation and ofenvironmentally-friendly renovation as necessarycomponents of sustainable development. This dissertation identifies and analyses the mainissues that may be faced during renovation and thathave a relevant impact on the environment, thearchitecture or the inhabitants. It concludes with reflections about positive results, incongruities and challenges that may be found inprojects of sustainable renovation.