Sustainability manager's Christmas wish list

Political will, more co-creation and more opportunities to transform dull, unused buildings and fill them with life and beauty. That's what FOJAB's Head of Sustainability Anders Eriksson Modin hopes to find under the tree this year. Here is his wish list: 

1. I want ambitious national target limits!

In Sweden, we are good at implementing major changes when there is a clear political will. When politicians in the 1960s set the ambitious target of building one million homes in ten years to tackle the housing shortage, business and society rallied behind the goal and made it happen. What if we had the same political drive to reduce our carbon footprint and comply with the Paris Agreement measures to reduce global warming?

The construction industry needs a concrete goal to work towards. Something that encourages, challenges and drives us to think in new ways and challenge conventions. We don't even need to reinvent the wheel, but can be inspired by our neighbors in Denmark, who have taken the lead when it comes to the construction industry's climate transition.

At the top of my wish list, therefore, are national target thresholds that will help us achieve a significant reduction in climate impact. We should look at the whole life cycle of the building and also include retrofit projects and landscape/landscaping.

2. I wish for more transformation projects!

Our cities are not static but constantly evolving. At the same time, needs change. Where there used to be industry, there may be offices today, and in the future there will probably be some other function - but the building may be the same.

There is nothing more satisfying than taking a poorly functioning, unattractive and empty building, filling it with life, activity and beauty, and adapting it to a new era with new demands and aspirations. If my wish is to come true, it will also require a cultural change in the industry, because for many years the norm has been to demolish in order to build new buildings with more square meters - out with the old and in with the new. The most sustainable house is already built, even if it struggles with low ceilings or insufficient shafts.

Do you have a vacant building that has seen its best days? Let's have lunch!

3. I wish for more knowledge sharing and co-creation!

It is perhaps the most worn expression of our time - that we need to cooperate and collaborate. "Together we reach further". I remember a panel debate in Almedalen a few years ago, where a panelist killed it with the comment "If you say collaboration one more time, I'm leaving the stage!". At the time, that comment was appropriate. At the same time, we can now see the results of a deep recession with fierce competition and tough market conditions that have made us more protectionist. I feel that the industry is holding on to knowledge and skills more tightly in the hope that this will give it a competitive edge in the hunt for new contracts.

Today, many architectural offices develop their own digital tools for climate calculation. In this case, it is an advantage to be large and able to bear the development costs. The consequence is that the smaller offices risk falling behind and that we do not reach as far in our joint efforts to reduce climate impact. Imagine if we instead shared the software and gave tips on smart ways to achieve the greatest possible climate benefit per invested krona.

FOJAB wants to go against the grain and show that another way is possible! We share our climate calculation tool "Leaf Cutter Ant" open source - free for everyone to use. The program is developed together with IVL, Warm in the Winter and Tyréns and is meant to be used in the early stages where you make the crucial decisions for geometry, frame selection and materials. This is our way of living up to the company's vision of creating architecture for a better world.

Read more about Leaf Cutter Ant here: Climate assessment in early stages