BRF Viva – Housing with Minimum Climate Footprint

Brf Viva was Sweden’s most sustainable and innovative housing project when it was built. Its many smart solutions in energy efficiency and building materials, as well as pioneering trialling of new ideas, make Viva an instructive and inspirational sustainable-living housing development.

Solar-power systems, energy storage, heat recovery from ventilation (FTX), car and electric bike pools, remote workplaces and resource-efficient construction using low-carbon concrete. These are some of aspects leading the way to sustainable living at Viva, a cutting-edge housing project inaugurated in September 2019.

Housing solutions for the future

What makes Brf Viva unique are the socially, economically and environmentally sustainable housing solutions for the future that are being implement at full scale. These include ideas previously untested in Swedish housing projects. The project has resulted in increased sustainability, with the insights and lessons learned being put into practice at the Viva housing association. It comprises 132 apartments in Guldheden, next to the Chalmers University of Technology campus area in Gothenburg.

Reusing bus batteries for energy storage

The energy storage system in the Viva housing association is part of housing company Riksbyggen’s Positive Footprint Housing research project. The project is also linked to a testbed for electrically powered public transport (ElectriCity, supported by the EU’s IRIS Smart Cities project), which includes repurposing used bus batteries to store solar energy.

Other Brf Viva innovations include social and environmental initiatives such as:
• New housing association studio flats for young people for only SEK 95,000 (€9 340)
• Innovative mobility solutions that make it easier to not own a car, such as large, secure bicycle parking areas.
• Mobility as a service, an app that makes it easier for people to plan, use and combine different modes of transport, such as bike, carpool and public transport.
• Ecosystem Service Analysis, a tool to retain and incorporate ecosystem services in new housing projects.
• New, more durable concrete produced with 30% less CO2 emissions.
• Environmental Gold building certification.

Collaboration between science, housing and energy

The project was initiated by Riksbyggen in collaboration with organisations such as Johanneberg Science Park, Chalmers University of Technology, the University of Gothenburg, Göteborg Energi, the City of Gothenburg and RISE (Research Institutes of Sweden). Thanks to its holistic approach to sustainable housing, Brf Viva was named Environmental Building of the Year at the Sweden Green Building Awards 2019.

Similar Best Practices

Manufacture in Wood – Sustainable Wooden Design

‘Manufacture in wood’ is a gathering of forces from the wood construction industry and the wood-based interior design industry. The project will take advantage of the expertise available in production, automation and digital systems so that companies that work with wooden house construction, interior design and design can develop, with new solutions and smarter processes.

Kristineberg Center – Accelerating Sustainable Blue Growth

Kristineberg Center is an open partnership founded to accelerate the transition to a sustainable blue economy. The mission is to advance the implementation of research and knowledge.

Near Infrared Sorting of Plastics from Household Waste Reduces Emissions by 75 %

This plant outside of Stockholm is the first of its kind in Sweden, using the Near-Infrared Technology to automatically sort out plastics from household waste. A total of 11,000 tonnes of plastic and 2,500 tonnes of metal are sorted out each year.

AstaZero – Future road safety systems

AstaZero is the world’s first full-scale independent test environment for future road safety.
The facility is unique since the different traffic environments make it possible to test advanced safety systems and their functions for all kinds of traffic and traffic situations including for example light and heavy vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists as well as ICT infrastructure and logistic solutions.

Waste to Energy Facility in Högbytorp

In a circular economy, waste is a resource that can be recycled into materials and energy. And that is exactly what is happening in the recycling facility in Högbytorp!

The Tricot factory – Timber on top to create a modern and sustainable office building

It is smart to use a circular business model where you can use existing buildings to create new buildings. Wood as a renewable building material plays a key role when existing buildings get new life with the help of wooden extensions.

Energy Evolution Center

The Energy Evolution Center will be an arena for innovative solutions that lead to real energy conversion, increased competitiveness in companies and ensure long-term supply of skills.

The Multi Activity House – Sports, Activities, and Culture Under One Roof

A project is underway in the far north of Sweden to move and relocate the entire city of Gällivare. Public buildings are being replaced, creating a need for innovative, multi-purpose properties. The multi-activity building in the city centre will bring sport, activities and culture under one roof.

Last-Mile Delivery – Inner-City Distribution

Last-mile delivery is the final stage of an item’s journey, where it reaches the end customer. It’s also the most carbon-intensive stage. Growth in e-commerce is increasing both traffic congestion and CO2 emissions from delivery vehicles. Intensive work is underway in Gothenburg to test carbon-neutral concepts for last-mile deliveries.

Electromobility in Gothenburg Creates a Greener and Cleaner City

Fossil-based transport is a major contributor to cities’ CO2 emissions, as well as adding to noise and air pollution. By enabling all forms of transport to run on electricity, electromobility is key to making cities greener, cleaner and more pleasant to live in.

The New District of Brunnshög – a Future to Believe in

Everyone’s talking about a smarter, more sustainable future. This is taking shape in Brunnshög in southern Sweden. And it’s being created around the people who will live there, focusing on their future needs.

The Intelligent District Heating System – Makes Use of AI

In Karlshamn, a collaboration between several organisations has created a sustainable, intelligent district heating system. The system is controlled using the latest AI technology and is constantly evolving to create a future-proof sustainable energy supply.

All Best Practices