“Conducting climate assessments of buildings as early as the detailed planning stage increases our knowledge and understanding of the factors that drive the climate footprint. These analyses will serve as a solid foundation for our dialogue with developers, helping us reach a consensus on the necessary measures,” says Jan Rosenlöf, planning officer and project manager for the City Planning Office’s climate assessment project in the City of Malmö.
– We need to know how the parameters the city can control in a detailed plan actually affect the carbon footprint. What happens if we change the number of stories, the building’s geometry, or the configuration of the building envelope?
A Gap in the Market
Tools exist for performing climate calculations on buildings during the early design stages. Malmö’s City Planning Office sought a similar tool for the planning stage to meet the municipality’s needs, but could not find one on the market. There was no established method to replicate and adopt.
“We identified a gap,” says Andreas Eggertsen, climate strategist for the City of Malmö. “The necessary knowledge is available during the design phase, but not during the planning phase, where a significant portion of the climate impact is determined.”
Tailored specifically for municipalities
A partnership was established between the City of Malmö, the software company Plant, and the architectural firm FOJAB. And now there is a digital tool in place to meet municipalities’ needs for climate calculations in the early stages: Urban Concept.
FOJAB and Plant have jointly further developed Plant’s climate calculation platform, Concept, drawing on experience and inspiration from FOJAB’s work with early-stage climate analyses, including Leaf Cutter Ant. It integrates with the 3D modeling software SketchUp and can thus serve as a tool for all planning officers in the City of Malmö as part of their routine work.
Part of the municipality’s climate work
The City of Malmö has set high goals for calculating greenhouse gas emissions from construction projects as early as the planning stage. For example, it uses “Klimatanalys Stadsdel,” a tool developed by the IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, to calculate the climate footprint at the neighborhood level based on factors such as land use, traffic patterns, and energy consumption.
But that calculation isn't sufficient to address all the issues that may arise during the planning process, according to Jan Rosenlöf.
– It’s based on standard values for gross floor area, structural materials, and energy efficiency class. We wanted to go into more detail.
IVL’s Climate Analysis for Urban Areas has now been adapted to receive data from Urban Concept in a structured manner, so that the two tools complement each other.
The method could become standard practice
FOJAB and Plant hope that more municipalities will adopt this approach in the future.
“We are working to make this method standard practice. We hope that more municipalities will recognize the need to assess the climate impact of their zoning plans and that this is done in a consistent manner,” says Petra Jenning, Director of Development at FOJAB.
“This isn’t just about a new tool; it’s about a new approach to municipal planning. We believe that incorporating climate assessments early on will become a key part of sustainable urban development in the future,” says Pelle Tunell, CEO of Plant.
About Fojab
FOJAB is one of Sweden’s leading architecture firms, with approximately 170 employees and offices in Malmö, Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Helsingborg. At FOJAB, we work toward long-term sustainable development and are convinced that architecture can help solve societal challenges and create added value for everyone. We conduct research and innovation projects in collaboration with external partners.
About Plant
Plant develops software for climate calculations and climate analysis in the construction and real estate sectors. The company’s platform helps contractors, real estate companies, architects, and consultants perform climate calculations throughout the entire construction process, from the early design stages to the final climate declaration. Plant was founded in 2017 by Pelle Tunell and John Sjulander and is currently used by companies such as Skanska, Vasakronan, Norconsult, and Besqab.
Press Contact Plant
: Eva-Karin Svan
Phone: 070 858 77 85
Email: eva-karin@plant.se
Press Contact Fojab
Frida Roijer
Phone: 072 090 85 10
Email: frida.roijer@fojab.se
