Hoppet in Gothenburg is a climate-smart preschool
The Hoppet preschool is proof that climate-smart construction is possible. In comparison with a similar reference project, the preschool’s climate footprint has been reduced by as much as 62 percent, and it is now a source of inspiration for future construction in the City of Gothenburg.
The Hoppet preschool in the Backa district on Hisingen is concrete proof that climate-smart construction is possible. Maybe not 100%, but not far from it.
“From the beginning the goal has been to use fossil-free materials and construction methods,” says Rebecca Calderon, building work environment coordinator at Derome, the turnkey contractor for the Hoppet preschool. But pretty soon it was clear to everyone that this would not be possible because it is always difficult to find completely fossil-free materials and processes.”
Instead, the focus has been to reduce our climate footprint as much as possible. For example, steel and concrete in the structure were replaced with wood. And when it came to the building’s ventilation, there was early interest in the Climate Recovery solution.
Climate Recovery’s ventilation ducting has several advantages,” says Anders Carlsson, Research and Development Manager and Sustainability Manager at Derome. On the one hand, the production process using glass fibre ducts has significant environmental benefits, since it is based on recycled glass. This means that CO2 emissions can be reduced by more than 80 percent compared to traditional ventilation ducting.
“Another advantage is that in comparison Climate Recovery’s ventilation ducts weigh little, and are also delivered flat packed. This means that you can load more onto the same truck, making shipping more eco-efficient.
When it came to the more practical work of installing ventilation ducts from Climate Recovery, a certain amount of innovation was called for.
“This is always the case when new materials and methods are introduced. Initially, it may take a little longer to figure out what to do. But you learn how after a while,” Rebecca Calderon continues. At the same time, the fitters appreciated the ducts weighing so little, so avoiding heavy lifting.
“Another advantage of Climate Recovery’s ducting is that it is ready to just bend and hang. This avoids the time-consuming work of insulating the ducting, which is otherwise necessary.”
Today 140 children attend the Hoppet preschool, which has become something of a role model for how the City of Gothenburg wants to build in the future.
“The construction of Hoppet has been a challenge for everyone involved, while at the same time exciting and very instructive. This has been an experience that both the City of Gothenburg and Derome will take with us into future construction projects,” say Rebecca Calderon and Anders Carlsson.
Congratulations to the Hoppet preschool, winner of Building of the Year* 2022 in the Public Sector Properties category.
The jury’s motivation: This impressive timber building project has not only focused on the present, but also paved the way for the future of construction. You have worked in a way that is quite unique. The project is a great inspiration for the whole industry, and hopefully for all of the children who will use the building.
*Building of the Year is the civil engineering sector’s most prestigious prize, awarded annually by the magazine Byggindustrin. The prize goes to an individual construction project that was completed in the previous year and that has kept to budget, had high occupational safety and has added value.
Hoppet in numbers.
Savings across the entire project:
Energy efficiency
A lower pressure drop in T-pieces and bends results in a lower fan speed and power. This leads to a saving of 33,000 kWh over 20 years.
Logistics
Fewer deliveries and a much smaller storage area for material also means less weight for the fitter.
Time Savings
The schedule could be shortened by 270 hours, thanks to CR’s 2-in-1 system.
Environmental certification: Fossil-free construction
The choice of CR ducts ensures that the project is sustainable at every stage of the process, from manufacture to management and operation.
CO2
The lower pressure drop results in savings of over 3.5 tonnes during installation and 8 tonnes after 20 years of operation.
Savings in production costs in switching to CR ducts for this project:
Based on our assessment and calculations, a saving of approximately SEK 16,000 has been made due to the choice of ducting from Climate Recovery.
If we add this to the savings due to better logistics, more efficient assembly, coordinated insulation and fewer days rental of scissor lifts, we get total savings in the production phase of SEK 64,000.
