Materials and indoor environment

All materials used in the construction of Stockholm Royal Seaport must be safe. Ethical aspects and lifecycle perspectives are also considered in material selection. The use of finite resources is limited, and recycled and reused materials improve resource efficiency.

2023 Highlight:

Hazardous substances in building materials

Products containing chemical substances can pose environmental and health risks and must therefore be assessed and documented in national assessment systems. All developers and City of Stockholm projects follow these systems, although deviations from them may occur.

In 2023, the number of registered products increased for materials used in public open space. Stockholm Royal Seaport has investigated the issue of pressure-treated timber due to the presence of particularly hazardous substances. This requirement has now been revised due to new biocide legislation, and pressure-treated timber may now be used again.

The vast majority – 94 per cent – of built-in products have been reviewed in the tool Byggvarubedömningen (Building Product Assessment System). Sixty-five per cent of products in residential areas and 86 per cent in public spaces meet Stockholm Royal Seaport’s material requirements. Deviations include products such as injection materials, installation products, and anti-corrosion paint.

Ethical and economic considerations in material selection

The production and origin of construction materials can pose risks to biodiversity, working conditions, and human rights. Therefore, the City of Stockholm collaborates with other municipalities in a procurement group to ensure ethical aspects are maintained when procuring natural stone for contracts. The natural stone used in Stockholm Royal Seaport must be produced and processed in a safe and healthy working environment and in compliance with the rules and international conventions to which Sweden is a signatory. Documentation of all natural stone meets ethical requirements.

Timber used in outdoor construction must be FSC- or PEFC-certified, and the City of Stockholm also imposes additional requirements that cover ethical and environmental aspects.

Reuse and recycling of buildings and building material

The Gasverket area contains many buildings and environments of historical interest that are being preserved. This careful work has been recognised with several awards and nominations. Considerable emphasis is placed on preserving, renovating, and repurposing such buildings and areas with new activities and functions. To maintain the volume and space of the brick gasometer, which is being converted into a performance space, the venue’s stage is planned as a separate structure inside the old one, while also preserving the structure’s original brick walls.

Material flows are largely linear, hence the need for increased reuse and recycling. Future land allocations will require the use of a certain proportion of recycled or reused building materials. Potential barriers to increased reuse are planning and building permit issues, as well as the availability and costs of materials.

Requirements for increased reuse and recycling are also integrated into the City of Stockholm’s work. In 2023, several products and construction components demolished in other projects were reused. This included lighting foundations, formwork, pavement slabs, and steel sheet piling. Bridge sections and walkways from Stockholm’s Slussen development project were used in the extension of the pedestrian and cycle bridge in Värtahamnen. In 2023, a reuse warehouse opened at the where unwanted and surplus materials from developers, such as insulation, doors, windows, timber, etc., can be collected and used in new projects.

Another goal is to reduce the use of finite materials. Therefore, natural gravel, shingle or natural sand may not be used in cast-in-place concrete. This requirement has been met in all contracts except one. The City of Stockholm is examining how to apply this requirement to prefabricated concrete.

Indoor environment

Most people spend a significant amount of time indoors, making the quality of the indoor environment important. In a densely built-up part of the city, ensuring adequate daylight is challenging, as is managing the thermal climate during summer due to solar radiation. In some parts of the area, low-frequency noise from the nearby port also presents a challenge.

To ensure a high-quality indoor environment, buildings must meet Sweden’s Gold standard for indoor environments, which 80 per cent of developers currently achieve. Experience shows that collaboration between architects and indoor environment experts from the outset improves the likelihood of achieving high-quality indoor environments.

According to the 2023 residents’ survey, 93% of the residents are satisfied with the availability of daylight, 83% consider the air quality to be very good or fairly good, and 68% respectively with regards to the indoor temperature.

When ships are docked at the nearby port, their engines and fans generate low-frequency noise, impacting the potential for residential development in Värtahamnen and Frihamnen. A noise memorandum has been developed to describe how such noise can be managed and will be co-ordinated with the national noise steering group, including representatives from the National Board of Housing, Building and Planning, the Public Health Agency, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, the Transport Administration, and the County Administrative Boards.

In 2023, a study on low-frequency noise was conducted to establish a standard for measuring such noise from external sources in residential areas. The study will also enhance understanding of how different external walls can be used to filter out low-frequency noise.

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