In December 1995 the decision was made to start the refurbishment of the Inspectoren residential area. The following shows the key processes involved, from the first contacts made, through to the inauguration. 

• 1993. The Agenda 21-declaration is discussed in the City of Kalmar. At the same time the Tenants Association wondered if there was a residential area that could be considered for a closed-loop refurbishment programme.

• 1994. The housing company and the representatives for the Tenants Association started to discuss the refurbishment of the Inspektoren area. The demand made by the tenants association was that the increase in rent should not be higher than that resulting from a traditional reconstruction programme.

• 1995. An extensive series of meetings started, including general meetings with all the residents in the Inspektoren area. 
  A project group was formed in order to lead the programme of work for the Inspektoren project. 

• December 1995. Kalmarhem decide to refurbish the 159 flats in the Inspektoren area. The first step was to refurbish three show flats to demonstrate different standards of refurbishment.

• 1996. Work starts on the three show flats.

• Spring 1997. The three show flats are completed. The tenants are invited to study the suggestions proposed and the calculation of the rent.

• 1997. The Minister of the Environment inaugurates the construction project in Kalmar. This is also the year of the Kalmar Jubilee and the 600th. anniversary of the Kalmar Union of 1397. Some 300 delegations and a total of 3000 people visited the show flats.

• 1997-98. Kalmarhem met with all of the tenants in order to finalise the refurbishment of each flat and the tenants’ choices of materials and equipment. This process was finalised when each tenant received a complete drawing over the flat for final approval.

• Autumn 1998. The first tenants move from Inspektoren, into the temporary compact flats that Kalmarhem placed at their disposal. Work started on the 12th October 1998.

• December 1998. The first flats were now complete and the tenants moved back in.

• 1999. An intensive year during which the process of reconstruction moved from building to building.

• May 2000. The area is now complete. Finalisation was celebrated with an outdoor party for all tenants.

• October 2000. A special survey group of specialists from different professions was formed in order to record the levels of consumption of, for example, water, electricity and energy. Even quantities of refuse, storm water flow, levels of radon gas and other substances, temperature etc. that govern the environmental impact were studied.

• September 2000. A study of living habits was started in the area – do the tenants use the opportunity of leading a lifestyle that reduces the consumption of raw materials and follows the closed-loop process?

During the spring of 1997 a queue of expectant visitors visited the three show flats in the Inspektoren area. The tenants had been invited to study the flats and decide upon which refurbishment model and which individual components they liked. Kalmarhem opened the doors to the three show flats with great expectations. The question was how would the 159 tenants in the Inspektoren residential area react to the different alternatives.

In preparation for the extensive refurbishment programme for the 159 flats, three of them had been renovated in three different ways.

One of the flats had been renovated carefully, with as few alterations as possible. The layout of the flat was intact and the idea was to keep everything that was not worn out. For example the sink unit was retained when the plumbing was renewed. Rooms with wallpaper and paint in good condition were left untouched. The flat gave a tidy impression after the renovation, despite the relatively small changes.

One of the intentions of this careful renovation was, apart from the low cost, that this method created less construction waste than that of more comprehensive renovation where almost everything is torn out.

The second alternative was a flat that was the result of a more comprehensive renovation, corresponding to that of a normal standard of renovation of elderly residential areas. The difference in this case, as opposed to that of a traditional renovation was the great degree of use of environmentally adapted materials. Freon free and energy efficient refrigerators and freezers were installed. All the rooms were redecorated, and the kitchen and bathroom changed places. The kitchen fittings were replaced, and many of the tenants noticed that the electrical circuits had been renewed and many more outlets installed.

A novel item was the waste disposal unit in the kitchen sink. How would this new environmental idea be received?  

The third flat, often called the “ State-of-the-art” flat due to the high degree of new technology, was equipped with latest environmental technology. This involved a new layout of the flat and the kitchen opened out towards the sitting room. Another novelty was the built-in glazed climate room where the indoor air is cleansed by vegetation.

The intention of this flat was to find out if the technology included would result in reasonable levels of rent and if this solution really was a feasible alternative for future residential projects.

A number of service functions were common to all three show flats. A great number of different solutions were discussed before the three show flats were built. These solutions were discussed further after the tenants had made their decisions.

Among the solutions discussed was urine separation, an alternative that was rejected. Another matter was whether or not heat exchangers should be installed in order to extract thermal energy from out-going ventilation. The waste disposal units were also discussed and which materials should be used in the sewage drainage. 
The most interesting factor of this refurbishment model was that all three fully finished alternatives could be seen in place – the tenants had found a way to influence their living environment.
 

Kalmarhem and SUREURO

Kalmarhem is one of the seven housing companies that are part of a European joint project that are developing tools and methods for the renovation of residential areas in Europe.

The undertaking – and the market – is enormous. 170 million people live in mass-produced flats from the post-war era, built, as often as not, without regard to the environment, sustainable development or the influence of tenants.
The experience gained from the refurbishment of the Inspektoren area will be part of the knowledge being built up as how to refurbish 56 million post-war flats in Europe to the requirements of the 21^st century. Kalmarhem is one of the leading actors in this European joint project in which seven housing companies in as many countries are taking part. Apart from Kalmarhem, the companies Boligselskabet AKB in Copenhagen, Woningstichting Alpen aan den Rijn in Holland, Logirep in Paris, Wohnungsbaugesellschaft Marzahn, Berlin, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council in the West Midlands, England, and the Finnish Read Estate Federation in Helsinki have established this joint European venture for the renovation of residential areas. These companies manage over 207 000 flats in total.

Each housing company has in turn brought in construction companies, research Institutions and consultants. Kalmarhem are co-operating with the construction company NCC and the consultants Vatten och Samhällsteknik i Götaland.
The idea behind this joint European venture is to develop models and tools in order that the ageing stock of residential buildings be refurbished in close co-operation with the tenants using methods that are based upon sound and sustainable ecological principles. The main objective is that the costs of this process should be kept at such a level that the tenants would be able to afford to move back into the flats after the completion of the refurbishment process.

The construction and renovation of residential housing has traditionally focused on design, engineering and initial costs. The European Commission now requires the housing companies to focus upon the opinion of the tenants. This requirement leads to a completely new way of thinking and working. New demands are placed on construction materials and methods. The “guiding star” is long-term sustainable development. The manufacturers and suppliers of construction materials will be forced to evaluate and develop their products in order to fulfil the 21^st century requirements on life-cycle analysis, recycling, and maximum raw material efficiency.

The flats and the residential areas should be designed in order that the tenants be able to live and reside in an ecologically caring manner in a healthy environment. ”Sustainable living in sustainable society”. Successively greater demands will be required from the housing companies to co-operate locally with the local authority and nearby society. The residential areas must be part of a comprehensive dimension in the development of an ecologically sustainable society. The refurbishment process must lead to a reduction in the release of environmentally hazardous substances into the atmosphere and the reduction of the volume of household waste and consumption of water.

The European Commission requires that the models that the seven companies develop be made available to other participants in European refurbishment projects. This includes residential housing companies, local authorities, tenants, architects, consultants and construction companies. This co-operation is intended to lead to competitive advantages for all parties, including the environment itself. All parts and details in the systems developed shall be interrelated in such a way that no detail should be overlooked – the refurbishment of ageing dwellings in Europe requires overall solutions Where improvement of the environment, maximisation of raw material efficiency and sustainable development are “Words of Honour”. In the 21^st century the tenants will take part in the design of their own living environment.

Illustration: Vatten och Samhällsteknik.

The flats have been carefully renovated with as few alterations as possible. The idea was to keep everything that was not worn out:

• Reduction in floor level in the bathroom
• Installation of a bathroom package
• Wider bathroom door
• Ventilation hood in the kitchen
• Change of refrigerator to a combined refrigerator/freezer
• Redecoration of one bedroom and the hall
• Redecoration of the kitchen
• New floor and wall coverings in the bathroom
• Replacement of all electrical wiring and installation of electromagnectic shielding.

This method represents the works normally carried out when elderly flats are refurbished to modern day standard:

• A bedroom facing traffic
  is converted into a kitchen
• New kitchen units and equipment including a waste disposal unit and cupboards designed for the sorting of refuse
• New clothes cupboard
• Enlarged bathroom
• Reduction in floor level in the bathroom
• Installation of a bathroom package with a limited flush toilet
• New floor and wall coverings in the bathroom
• Parquet floor in the sitting room
• Redecoration of the entire flat
• Enlarged and/or glazed in balcony (optional extra)
• Replacement of all electrical wiring and installation of electromagnetic shielding
• Installation of a built-in vacuum cleaning system (optional extra).

The state-of the-art flat was equipped with the latest technology in closed loop thinking:

• New kitchen equipment including a cooling cabinet with natural cooling
• Enlargement of the bathroom with a fully plumbed unit with allowance made for urine separation
• Indirect lighting with glass block walls
• Climate shields outside the kitchen, sitting room and bedrooms
• Vegetation filters in climate rooms and temperature and moisture control
• Tiled floor in the bathroom, hall and climate room
• Floor of axh parquet in the sitting room and bedrooms
• Redecoration using emulsion, tempera- and linseed oil paints
• Replacement of all electrical wiring and installation of electromagnetic shielding.

We also have two booklets about the work performed in the residential area.
The first booklet (far left) is only available in Swedish. The second booklet (left) is available both in Swedish and English.

Use the e-mail address above to order your copy of the booklets.