Sustainable infrastructure and buildings

All materials used in Stockholm Royal Seaport are high-quality and contribute to a good indoor environment. When selecting materials, ethical aspects and life cycle perspectives are also taken into account. The use of finite resources is limited, and recycled and reused materials contribute to resource efficiency.

Sustainable choices for construction products

Reducing hazardous substances in building materials

Buildings comprise between 100 and 400 products and infrastructure in public open spaces between 30 and 100 products. Products with hazardous chemical substances that pose environmental and health risks are not allowed to be built in. All products used are assessed by national evaluation systems, and all stakeholders document the materials they select. However, installation materials present a challenge. A crucial step in this process is also to increase the range of materials used for public space declared in the national evaluation system. In order to reduce the quantity of environmentally harmful substances and health hazards, as well as the spread of microplastics, specific requirements have been introduced to decrease the use of artificial turf and rubber asphalt.

For timber structures, the primary requirement is to employ constructive timber protection or alternatives free from biocides and heavy metals. As a last resort, a needs-based selection of timber protection classes should be made, with the chosen class justified and specified. No use of pressure-treated timber has been reported for public space installations or private properties.

As for public space installations, 80 per cent of deviations are approved, and for private properties, the proportion of approved deviations is 50 per cent, with the majority of deviations concerning installation products .

Ethical considerations in material selection

Both the production and origin of construction materials can pose risks that threaten biodiversity, working conditions, and human rights. Natural stone must be produced and processed in a safe and healthy working environment for workers and in accordance with the regulations and international conventions to which Sweden is a signatory. The City of Stockholm participates, along with other municipalities, in a procurement group to ensure ethical aspects are considered in the procurement of natural stone contracts. Joint requirements have been established, and natural stone is inspected by a third-party. All ethical requirements have been met for the City's projects.

Forestry is associated with a number of environmental and ethical risks. The City of Stockholm requires that all procured timber used on-site outdoor structures must be FSC or PEFC certified. Discussions are ongoing as to whether these certifications sufficiently address these risks. A comprehensive analysis has been conducted on the risks and consequences of choosing various types of wood used in outdoor structures. The analysis covers technical and chemical properties, ethical and ecological aspects, and has been supplemented with a life cycle cost and climate analysis. This is an important knowledge base for selecting types of wood in the ongoing development of Stockholm Royal Seaport, as well as other areas of Stockholm.

Finite resources

In order to reduce the use of finite resources, requirements have been established that no more than 25 per cent of the aggregate in site-cast concrete structures may contain virgin natural gravel, single-sized aggregate, or natural sand. This requirement has been met, with the exception of one contract where a higher proportion of natural sand in concrete was used. Measures are being taken to prevent similar deviations in the future.

Reuse of materials

The City of Stockholm is working to increase the reuse of materials in its own projects. In Värtahamnen, work is underway to assemble a temporary pedestrian and cycle bridge, which includes bridge elements reused from Slussen. In Saltkajen, partially reused materials will be used for temporary structures, such as used beams and plywood previously employed in Slussen. In Gasverket, 123 tonnes of large paving stones and 67 tonnes of mayor stones, which were removed from the area during previous remediation work, have been reused in the new paving. Tests were conducted to determine whether bricks from a demolished building in the Hangö block could be reused, but the analysis showed that the bricks were in too poor condition for reuse.

The unique character, identity, and cultural heritage values of Gasverket will be preserved, with great emphasis placed on conserving and renovating the historical buildings that will be filled with new activities and functions.

What's so interesting about the industrial buildings that we're renovating is that we have to adapt the business to the building and not the other way around, as you might otherwise do. In this case, we can't move doors or windows. And that is necessary for working with these buildings to preserve the architectural heritage of Ferdinand Boberg. However, it does create additional challenges in terms of renting out the buildings and to find businesses that can operate in these premises.

An extensive remediation of the brick facade of Gasometer 2 is underway. The gasometer, which stored produced gas, has oil contamination along the walls in the lower parts of the holder. Leaks and spills during work are believed to have contributed, but the gas itself also carried contaminated substances.

In upcoming land allocations, requirements will be set for increased recycling and reuse of materials in new construction. Since some of the construction waste consists of usable and leftover materials, the possibility of receiving these at the construction logistics centre is being investigated.

Healthy indoor environments

People spend most of their time indoors, which is why the indoor environment is so important. To ensure that indoor environments meet suitable standards in Stockholm Royal Seaport, buildings must meet Sweden’s Miljöbyggnad Gold standard for the indoor environment, which 82 per cent of developers meet.

In the initial phases, indoor environmental aspects were not sufficiently considered in the urban structure. The major challenge in a densely built-up area is the availability of daylight. Nowadays, daylight studies are carried out in detailed planning to address this issue as early as possible. Another challenge is the thermal climate in the summertime due to the solar heat loads that occur. The experience is that the earlier collaboration takes place between architects and experts in energy and indoor environment, the greater the possibility of meeting all indoor environment requirements.

The legal planning conditions for building homes, pre-schools, primary schools, and healthcare facilities in a port-adjacent location have been investigated. The background is the port operations in Värtahamnen and Frihamnen, and the noise generated by the activities is classified as operational noise. In addition, there is low-frequency noise from engines and fans when ships are in port. Knowledge of how low-frequency noise can be isolated is limited, and more knowledge is needed for planning work to progress in the port, the southern part of Stockholm Royal Seaport. A memorandum has been prepared. The plan is to anchor it with the national noise coordination steering group, with representatives from the National Board of Housing, Building and Planning, the Public Health Agency, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Transport Administration, and the County Administrative Boards. During 2023, a study of low-frequency noise will be carried out, resulting in a measurement standard for low-frequency noise inside homes from external noise sources, as well as in-depth knowledge about the sound insulation capabilities of different buildings against low-frequency noise.

Key events in 2022

• All timber used is environmentally labelled according to FSC and PEFC.
• All natural stone was inspected by a third-party and the ethical requirements were met for the City of Stockholm's work.
• Conditions for legal planning were clarified regarding noise exposure for housing, pre- and primary schools, and healthcare facilities in the vicinity of the harbour.
• A risk analysis of 12 types of wood used in outdoor constructions was developed based on ethical and environmental aspects, as well as life-cycle cost and climate perspectives.