Tvärpilen – a Small Residential Area, Big on Sustainability

The village of Kivik in south-east Sweden is where you’ll find the new residential area Tvärpilen, which combines beauty, sustainability and responsibility in perfect harmony.

In the small village, Kivik, in the southeast of Sweden, you find the new residential area, Tvärpilen, where the Beautiful, the Sustainable and the Responsible come together in perfect combination. With local entrepreneurs and a well thought through approach in circularity and environmental care Tvärpilen is a pride to the villagers with, among other things, local wastewater treatment, reuse of the treated water and local energy production.

In the residential area you find one of the most advanced wastewater treatment plants in Sweden. Not only does it remove nitrogen and phosphorous, but it also removes micro plastics, pharmaceutical residues, hormones, and silver ions. The treated water then goes back to all toilets and irrigation ejectors in a separate pipe system. That means less use of valuable freshwater by 30 percent and maybe the greenest lawns in Kivik.

That it is important to work with closeness also shines through when it comes to heating and energy. Heat from both the air and the water in the ground provides all the housings with heat via floor heating systems. In the area you find a solar park which provides every housing with 60 percent of its need.

Tvärpilen is a good example of how a small residential area can be big on sustainability.

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.

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.

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.

Villazero – Building for the Future

Villazero is a development project run by Fiskarhedenvillan, Mondo Arkitekter and Structor Byggteknik Dalarna, together with support from Region Dalarna. The project’s purpose is to build a carbon-neutral detached house in Borlänge. It’s a unique opportunity to learn how to build zero-CO2 houses for a more sustainable future.

Hoppet – Sweden’s first fossil-free preschool

When Hoppet preschool in Gothenburg was due to be built, the City of Gothenburg wanted to set a challenge for the construction industry and encourage change. The city wanted the preschool to be built completely fossil free, with no carbon emissions throughout the building’s entire life cycle from construction to its future use.

All Best Practices