Design and materials selection

Work on issues involving materials, circularity and waste is performed on the basis of each business area’s specific conditions and operations and is designed to reduce the use of materials with a negative impact on the climate, environment, and human health. Efficient resource utilization, purchases of materials with the lowest possible environmental impact and increased recycling are essential in this work. The materials that have the greatest climate impact are concrete, steel and asphalt, although circular material flows are also of great importance in the use of other materials, such as rock and soil material. NCC applies the precautionary principle to the selection of materials, and several development projects are under way.

Habitat 7 in Gothenburg – The right material used in the right place reduces climate impact by 40 percent.

Habitat 7 is a state-of-the-art office building in Gothenburg’s new Masthuggskajen district. With the goal of reducing the construction-phase climate impact by 40 percent, NCC has concentrated on optimizing the use of materials such as concrete and steel, which account for a substantial part of the climate footprint.  

Solutions that have a low climate impact and are very cost effective have been identified by analyzing the building’s location, design and façade system. The early phases were crucial to ensure that the right materials and building systems were used in the right places. By applying resource-efficient and optimized construction solutions, the volume of concrete was minimized without compromising on function and quality.  

In addition, climate-improved concrete was used to reduce emissions. The frame consists mainly of solid wood, thereby reducing the climate impact compared with a conventional steel and concrete frame. An electric pile driving rig and hybrid wood and concrete piles were used for the foundations to further reduce the carbon footprint. The climate impact during construction of Habitat 7 is estimated to be 230 kg CO2e/GFA (gross floor area), a reduction of more than 40 percent compared to a reference office according to the Sweden Green Building Council’s Noll CO2 (Zero CO2) certification. This includes all materials used in the project, meaning a larger scope than what is encompassed by the Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning’s climate declaration. 

Bild: Habitat 7
Habitat 7.