Sustainable Planning in Refurbishment Projects – An Early Phase Evaluation

Abstract

Approximately 80% of the current Norwegian building stock is expected to still be in use in 2050. Norwegian government demands that the refurbishment and modernization of these buildings should be sustainable. According to the authors the early phase planning should therefore be improved in order to be able to fulfill the sustainability requirements. A great deal of the potential for a successful project lies in the early phase, but there seem to be no clear definition of when it starts or when it finishes. This paper investigates different definitions of “early phase” and what this phase of the project should contain to facilitate a successful rehabilitation. Economy is important when defining if a project has been successful or not, but budget overrun is an everyday problem in refurbishment projects. This paper will see if it is possible to determine a more secure economic framework in the early phase. The research has been conducted as a case study approach, based on a literature study, ten interviews and a survey. The first case study was a refurbishment with both technical and financial challenges. The other case study consisted of an investigation of how two municipalities in Norway decide whether to refurbish or demolish their school buildings. The interviews and the survey have been carried out with major stakeholders such as building owners, architects, consulting engineers and contractors. There seems to be no unanimous agreement of what the content of the early phase in refurbishment projects should be. The interviewees have individual definitions, depending on their role. Another notable finding is that all the respondents mean that they have more to contribute with, if they were contracted at an earlier stage in the project. The results will hopefully enable stakeholders in refurbishment projects to improve the structure of their activities. This will support the shareholders to get better and more sustainable end results.