Hoppet - The first fossil-free preschool

Abstract

The building sector give rise to one fifth of the Swedish greenhouse gas emissions. This sector needs a climate shift to reach the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Local municipalities play an important role in this shift and the City of Gothenburg has therefore initiated an innovation project, Hoppet - the first fossil-free preschool. The purpose is to highlight the climate issue and inspire the industry to develop new fossil-free products and processes as well as promoting existing ones. Hoppet is an initiative leading the way towards a fossil-free society in Gothenburg City, Sweden and the world. Hoppet will be built with minimal climate impact and no fossil resources, as far as possible. This includes everything from production and transport of materials to energy used in the building. The fossil content and climate impact of traditionally built preschools have been calculated as a benchmark for Hoppet. More than 70 % of the 250 building products in a traditionally built preschool has a petroleum-based content, eg plastics. The climate impact of the building products in a traditionally built preschool was calculated to about 390 kg CO2-eq./m2 gross area. The design phase of first Hoppet preschool started in the autumn 2019 and, before materials are chosen, calculations of the actual climate impact are made. Examples of climate calculations and strategies for material selection for Hoppet are presented as well as ongoing and future work for fossil-free construction. For more than two years, the project has scouted for new innovative materials and old techniques in order to build fossil-free. Finding fossil-free and climate neutral products has been challenging. Product development and innovation are key issues for fossil-free construction, as well as communication and collaboration within the construction industry. Five important strategies for the transition into a fossil-free society have been identified; biobased building products, reused and recycled building products, minimized material usage, fossil-free construction site and a product life cycle perspective.