Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Sustainable homes, or simply energy-efficient buildings?

  • Article
  • Published:
Journal of Housing and the Built Environment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Environmental consideration within the Swedish construction sector can no longer be considered marginal. It is here discussed whether the same commitment is extended to facilitate deeper dimensions of sustainability in the provision of housing, beyond simply energy-efficient residential buildings? The paper presents the case of a multi-family ‘green’ residential area being developed in Göteborg, Sweden. An interview study with the seven housing developers building in the area provides primary empirical insights, further complemented by findings from a workshop with architects involved in the project. Conceptualizations of sustainability in housing are explored, based in discourses among these market actors. Issues identified in the inductive data analysis relate to the ambitions set and measures taken in new ‘green’ building, as well as market perceptions of housing standards, lifestyles and household configurations that are reproduced in the built environment. The paper shows that interpretations of sustainability in market-led housing development do not radically challenge the normative and resource intense contemporary ideals surrounding the urban home and that the realization of goals undertaken in the case of Kvillebäcken is generally dependent on economic considerations and market assessments. In conclusion, the paper emphasizes the need to formulate an integrative approach to more holistic sustainable residential environments.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. According to the Swedish norm 2 for overcrowding: more than two residents per room, kitchen and living room excluded.

  2. A dwelling is considered to be of high standard of space if there is more than one room per resident, kitchen and living room excluded.

References

  • Alvesson, M., & Sköldberg, K. (2009). Reflexive methodology: New vistas for qualitative research. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aune, M. (2007). Energy comes home. Energy Policy, 35, 5457–5465.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boverket. (2008). A history of the Swedish system of non-profit municipal housing. Karlskrona: Boverket.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boverket. (2010). Boendekostnader och boendeutgifter—Sverige och Europa. Karlskrona: Boverket.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boverket. (2012). Bostadsmarknaden 2012–2013—Med slutsatser från bostadsmarknadensenkäten 2012. Karlskrona: Boverket.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bröchner, J. (2010). Innovation in construction. In F. Gallouj & F. Djellal (Eds.), The handbook of innovation and services: A multi-disciplinary perspective (pp. 743–767). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buys, L., Godber, A., Summerville, J., & Barnett, K. (2007). Building community: Collaborative individualism and the challenge for building social capital. Australasian Journal of Regional Studies, 13(3), 287–298.

    Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, S. (1996). Green cities, growing cities, just cities? Urban planning and the contradictions of sustainable development. Journal of the American Planning Association, 62(3), 296–312.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carlsson-Kanyama, A., & Lindén, A. -L. (2002). Hushållens energianvändning. Värderingar, beteenden, livsstilar och teknik—en litteraturöversikt. Report 176, University of Stockholm.

  • Clarke, J. (2004). Living alone in Britain. Geography Review, 17(5), 2–5.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dempsey, N., Bramley, G., Power, S., & Brown, C. (2011). The social dimension of sustainable development: Defining urban social sustainability. Sustainable Development, 19(5), 289–300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gatersleben, B., White, E., Abrahamse, W., Jackson, T., & Uzzell, D. (2010). Values and sustainable lifestyles. Architectural Science Review, 53(1), 37–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gluch, P., Gustafsson, M., Thuvander, L., & Baumann, H. (2013). Charting corporate greening: Environmental management trends in Sweden. Building Research and Information, 42(3), 318–329.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Godschalk, D. R. (2004). Land use planning challenges: Coping with conflicts in visions of sustainable development and livable communities. Journal of the American Planning Association, 70(1), 5–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Göteborg City Planning Office. (2008). Gestaltningsprogram Östra Kvillebäcken. Official document dated Göteborg 2008-10-07.

  • Gram-Hanssen, K., & Bech-Danielsen, C. (2004). House, home and identity from a consumption perspective. Housing, Theory and Society, 21(1), 17–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gram-Hanssen, K., & Jensen, J. O. (2005). Green buildings in Denmark—From radical ecology to consumer oriented market approaches? In S. Guy & S. A. Moore (Eds.), Sustainable architectures: Cultures and natures in Europe and North America (pp. 165–182). New York: Spon press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Granberg, M., & Åström, J. (2007). Deltagandets dilemman. Erfarenheter från stadsomvandling Södra Älvstranden. Kommunal ekonomi och politik, 11(6), 25–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haase, D., Kabisch, N., & Haase, A. (2013). Endless urban growth? On the mismatch of population, household and urban land area growth and its effects on the urban debate. PLoS ONE, 8(6), 1–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Håkansson, M., & Sengers, P. (2013). Beyond being green: Simple living families and ICT. (Paper presented at the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Paris, France).

  • Hedin, K., Clark, E., Lundholm, E., & Malmberg, G. (2011). Neoliberalization of housing in Sweden: Gentrification, filtering, and social polarization. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 102(2), 443–463.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hille, J., Simonsen, M., & Aall, C. (2011). Trender og drivere for energibruk i norske husholdninger. Report for NVE, Vestlandsforsking.

  • Holden, E. (2004). Ecological footprints and sustainable urban form. Journal of Housing and the Built Environment, 19(1), 91–109.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holden, E., & Linnerud, K. (2010). Environmental attitudes and household consumption: An ambiguous relationship. International Journal of Sustainable Development, 13(3), 217–231.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoyer, K. G., & Holden, E. (2001). Housing as Basis for Sustainable Consumption. International Journal of Sustainable Development, 4(1), 48–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, T. (2005). Live Better by Consuming Less?: Is There a “Double Dividend” in Sustainable Consumption? Journal of Industrial Ecology, 9(1–2), 19–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Janda, K. B. (2011). Buildings don’t use energy: People do. Architectural Science Review, 54(1), 15–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jensen, J. O., & Gram-Hanssen, K. (2008). Ecological modernization of sustainable buildings: A Danish perspective. Building Research and Information, 36(2), 146–158.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jensen, J. O., Jørgensen, M. S., Elle, M., & Lauridsen, E. H. (2012). Has social sustainability left the building? The recent conceptualization of “sustainability” in Danish buildings. Sustainability: Science, Practice, and Policy, 8(1), 94–105.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kabisch, N., & Haase, D. (2011). Diversifying European agglomerations: evidence of urban population trends for the 21st century. Population, Space and Place, 17(3), 236–253.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kates, R. W., Parris, T. M., & Leiserowitz, A. A. (2005). What is sustainable development? Environment, 47(3), 8–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klocker, N., Gibson, C., & Borger, E. (2012). Living together but apart: Material geographies of everyday sustainability in extended family households. Environment and Planning A, 44(9), 2240–2259.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kvillebäckskonsortiet. (2011) Program för Hållbar utveckling i Kvillebäcken. Retrieved November 21, 2013, from www.kvillebacken.se

  • Leonard, L., Perkins, H., & Thorns, D. (2004). Presenting and creating home: The influence of popular and building trade print media in the construction of home. Housing, Theory and Society, 21(3), 97–110.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, J., Daily, G. C., Ehrlich, P. R., & Luck, G. W. (2003). Effects of household dynamics on resource consumption and biodiversity. Nature, 421(6922), 530–533.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lorek, S., & Spangenberg, J. H. (2001). Indicators for environmentally sustainable household consumption. International Journal of Sustainable Development, 4(1), 101–120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lundqvist, L. J. (2004). ‘Greening the people’s home’: The formative power of sustainable development discourse in Swedish housing. Urban Studies, 41(7), 1283–1301.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mallett, S. (2004). Understanding home: A critical review of the literature. The Sociological Review, 52(1), 62–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marsh, R., Larsen, V. G., & Kragh, M. (2009). Housing and energy in Denmark: Past, present, and future challenges. Building Research and Information, 38(1), 92–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Merchant, C. (2005). Radical ecology: The search for a livable world (2nd ed.). London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mont, O. (2004). Institutionalisation of sustainable consumption patterns based on shared use. Ecological Economics, 50(1–2), 135–153.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murphy, K. (2012). The social pillar of sustainable development: A literature review and framework for policy analysis. Sustainability: Science, Practice, and Policy, 8(1), 15–29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nässén, J., & Holmberg, J. (2009). Quantifying the rebound effects of energy efficiency improvements and energy conserving behaviour in Sweden. Energy Efficiency, 2(3), 221–231.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nylander, O. (2011). Bostadens omätbara värden. Stockholm: Svensk Byggtjänst.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rapoport, E. (2014). Utopian visions and real estate dreams: The eco-city past, present and future. Geography Compass, 8(2), 137–149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rittel, H. W. J., & Webber, M. M. (1973). Dilemmas in a general theory of planning. Policy Sciences, 4(2), 155–169.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sanne, C. (2002). Willing consumers—Or locked-in? Policies for a sustainable consumption. Ecological Economics, 42(1–2), 273–287.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • SCB, Statistics Sweden. (2012). Yearbook of Housing and Building Statistics 2012. Örebro: SCB-Tryck.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schweber, L., & Leiringer, R. (2012). Beyond the technical: A snapshot of energy and buildings research. Building Research and Information, 40(4), 481–492.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shove, E., Chappells, H., Lutzenhiser, L., & Hackett, B. (2008). Comfort in a lower carbon society. Building Research and Information, 36(4), 307–311.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sorrell, S. (2009). Jevons’ paradox revisited: The evidence for backfire from improved energy efficiency. Energy Policy, 37(4), 1456–1469.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spaargaren, G. (2000). Ecological modernization theory and domestic consumption. Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning, 2(4), 323–335.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vale, B., & Vale, R. (2010). Domestic energy use, lifestyles and POE: Past lessons for current problems. Building Research and Information, 38(5), 578–588.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vallance, S., Perkins, H. C., & Dixon, J. E. (2011). What is social sustainability? A clarification of concepts. Geoforum, 42(3), 342–348.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van den Bergh, J. C. J. M. (2011). Energy conservation more effective with rebound policy. Environmental & Resource Economics, 48(1), 43–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wahlström, Å., Jagemar, L., Filipsson, P., & Heincke, C. (2011). Marknadsöversikt av uppförda lågenergibyggnader. Göteborg: C.E. Management.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wangel, J. (2013). Hur hållbara är Hammarby sjöstad och Norra Djurgårdstaden? In H. Teleman, C. Caldenby, E. Ullstad, & F. von Platen (Eds.), Hållbarhetens villkor (pp. 86–103). Malmö: Arena.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilhite, H., Nakagami, H., Masuda, T., Yamaga, Y., & Haneda, H. (1996). A cross-cultural analysis of household energy use behaviour in Japan and Norway. Energy Policy, 24(9), 795–803.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Willén, M. (2012). Berättelser om den öppna planlösningens arkitektur: En studie av bostäder, boende och livsstil i det tidiga 2000-talets. Lund: Sekel.

    Google Scholar 

  • Worldwatch Institute. (2010). State of the world 2010: Transforming cultures: From consumerism to sustainability. New York: Worldwatch Institute.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The presented work was funded by the Swedish Research Council Formas. The authors would furthermore like to acknowledge the work of research intern Guillemette Zuber and project assistant Emma Persson.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Architecture, Chalmers University of Technology, Sven Hultins gata 6, 412 96, Göteborg, Sweden

    Pernilla Hagbert & Paula Femenías

Authors
  1. Pernilla Hagbert
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Paula Femenías
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pernilla Hagbert.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Hagbert, P., Femenías, P. Sustainable homes, or simply energy-efficient buildings?. J Hous and the Built Environ 31, 1–17 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10901-015-9440-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10901-015-9440-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation