There is a major ongoing transition from utilizing fossil fuel to electricity in buses for enabling a more sustainable, environmentally friendly, and connected transportation ecosystem. Batteries are expensive, up to 30% of the total cost for the vehicle (A. Fotouhi 2016), and considered safety-critical components for electric vehicles (EV). As they deteriorate over time, monitoring the health status and performing the maintenance accordingly in a proactive manner is crucial to achieving not only a safe and sustainable transportation system but also a cost-effective operation and thus a greater market satisfaction. As a widely used indicator, the State of Health (SOH) is a measurement that reflects the current capability of the battery in comparison to an ideal condition. Accurate estimation of SOH is important to evaluate the validity of the batteries for the intended application and can be utilized as a proxy to estimate the remaining useful life (RUL) and predict the end-of-life (EOL) of batteries for maintenance planning. The SOH is computed via an on-board computing device, i.e. battery management unit (BMU), which is commonly developed based on controlled experiments and many of them are physical-model based approaches that only depend on the internal parameters of the battery (B. Pattipati 2008; M. H. Lipu 2018). However, the deterioration processes of batteries in hybrid and full-electric buses depend not only on the designing parameters but also on the operating environment and usage patterns of the vehicle. Therefore, utilizing multiple data sources to estimate the health status and EOL of the batteries is of potential internet. In this study, a data-driven prognostic method is developed to estimate SOH and predict EOL for batteries in heterogeneous fleets of hybrid buses, using various types of data sources, e.g. physical configuration of the vehicle, deployment information, on-board sensor readings, and diagnostic fault codes. A set of new features was generated from the existing sensor readings by inducing artificial resets on each battery replacement. A neural network-based regression model achieved accurate estimates of battery SOH status. Another network was used to indicate the EOL of batteries and the result was evaluated using battery replacement based on the current maintenance strategy. © ESREL2020-PSAM15 Organizers. Published by Research Publishing, Singapore.

Monitoring the condition, detecting faults, and modeling the degradation of industrial equipment are important challenges in Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) field. Our solution to the challenge demonstrated a multi-stage approach for detecting faults in a group of identical industrial equipment, composed of four identical interconnected components, that have been deployed to the evolving environment with changes in operational and environmental conditions. In the first stage, a stacked ensemble of heterogeneous classifiers was applied to predict the state of each component of the equipment individually. In the second stage, a low pass filter was applied to smoothen the predictions cast by stacked ensembles, utilizing temporal information of the prediction sequence. © ESREL2020-PSAM15 Organizers. Published by Research Publishing, Singapore.

This case study compares the function and framework of a building from 1898 with the requirements regarding sustainability and strength when building today. The purpose of this study is to get a better understanding of the requirements by investigating a building that was built without them.

The requirements on a new building’s sustainability are today applied to old buildings that undergo extensive renovation. Two measurements to ensure high sustainability are primary energy and the heat transfer coefficient. A well-insulated building has a low heat transfer coefficient and will require less energy to heat and therefore be more energy efficient and more sustainable.

Calculations have been made to determine the strength of the roof and the walls according to the Eurocodes and the nationally determined parameters, EKS. The primary energy and heat transfer coefficient has been calculated and compared to the mandatory provisions, Boverkets byggregler, BBR.

The result shows that the framework is strong enough to take care of the loads it is exposed to. Most of the requirements regarding sustainability fail to be met. Although in conclusion it should be possible to meet some, if not all, the requirements with further renovation without harming the cultural value of the building.

ICT-tools is increasingly being used by the construction industry to streamline the production and simplify the dissemination of information. When implementing ICT-tools, the industry challenges the outcome with its many factors. Despite existing guidelines regarding implementation, there is a tendency to not utilize ICT-tools since it is not considered applicable by the industry. The case study focusses on the planning before implementation of ICT-tools, in order to find out what these attitudes depend on and how to handle them.

The purpose is to see how the process before implementation can look like, highlight key factors that are typical for construction and find solutions to them.

The method is a combination of a case study and a literature study. The report follows a classic construction company when it is planning implementation of an ICT-tool. The authors evaluate the work with a constant comparative and ethnographic participant observation, where behaviour patterns are analysed. Observed patterns are divided into four themes by the authors which is discussed and leads to the conclusion that the structure and information flows are not clear in the construction industry. Finally, the authors present an activity schedule, in order to facilitate planning of implementation. It primarily permeates notes that instruct clarity and consistently preparatory activities.

The digital revolution has introduced several tools for structural engineers in the form of computer programs. These computer tools have partly transformed the role of structural engineers from their performing manual calculations to using different computer programs, evaluating the results, and checking codes. 

Advanced computer-based calculation programs are often relied on when dimensioning structural parts. However, these are associated with certain consequences, especially when using black box software, which increases the need for an estimated model. 

The purpose of this paper is to examine how the design of a concrete slab is estimated and how the results of such an estimate calculation relate to the results from computer calculations.

The research method involves three main steps: gathering facts from references to learn how to design a concrete slab; developing a calculation model; and learning how to use PEPS, which is a type of black box software for performing calculations.

In the analysis, PEPS is compared with manual calculations and the following conclusions are drawn based on the results:

The estimate dimensioning of an edge-stiffened concrete slab can be simplified by using the equilibrium equation based on the edge beam. Results from this simplified method will differ from results produced by the computer program. 

Simplified calculations are used to check the reasonableness of the PEPS results: Although PEPS indicates the cause of the bearing capacity of the concrete slab, the program fails to demonstrate how the results are calculated.

The traditional paradigm for developing machine prognostics usually relies on generalization from data acquired in experiments under controlled conditions prior to deployment of the equipment. Detecting or predicting failures and estimating machine health in this way assumes that future field data will have a very similar distribution to the experiment data. However, many complex machines operate under dynamic environmental conditions and are used in many different ways. This makes collecting comprehensive data very challenging, and the assumption that pre-deployment data and post-deployment data follow very similar distributions is unlikely to hold.

In this work, we present a feature-representation based transfer learning (TL) method for predicting Remaining Useful Life (RUL) of equipment, under scenarios that samples with previously unseen conditions are presented in the target domain and the labels are available only for the source domain, but not the target domain. This setting corresponds to generalizing from a limited number of run-to-failure experiments performed prior to deployment into making prognostics with data coming from deployed equipment that is being used under multiple new operating conditions and experiencing previously unseen faults. We employ a deviation detection method, Consensus Self-Organizing Models (COSMO), to create transferable features for building the RUL regression model. These features capture how different a particular equipment is in comparison to its peers.

The efficiency of the proposed TL method is demonstrated using the NASA Turbofan Engine Degradation Simulation Data Set. Models using the COSMO transferable features show better performance than other methods on predicting RUL when the target domain is more complex than the source domain. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd

Looking at a 10 year perspective, in average there has been one death a month in the Swedish construction industry. Many of the deaths is due to organizational flaws, examples of this could be inadequate survey of a workers experience or inadequate safety inspections. One study estimated that nearly 60% of Europe’s accidents in the construction industry were indirectly or directly due to organizational causes.

In my project I wanted to analyze how a construction company managed their working environmental organization. The project is a case study of how a company handled the working environment organization in one of their construction projects. The construction project is carried out by construction company MTA bygg och anläggning. In this project I have focused on how MTA handles the planning of the working environment, monitoring of work environment, cooperation between working environment profiles and systematic working environment improvements.

Through literature studies, internet studies and qualitative interviews I have looked into the factors that provide a good working environmental organization. To analyze the project I conducted interviews with some important people for the working environmental organization and by analyzing the document drawn up for MTA’s construction project. I wanted to find out how the company could improve its working organization and what could be learned from their organization.

The field of Explainable Predictive Maintenance (PM) is concerned with developing methods that can clarify how AI systems operate in the PM domain. One of the challenges of creating maintenance plans is integrating AI output with human decision-making processes and expertise. For AI to be helpful and trustworthy, fault predictions must be contextualized and easily comprehensible to humans. This involves providing tailored explanations to different actors depending on their roles and needs. For example, engineers can be connected to technical installation blueprints, while managers can evaluate system downtime costs, and lawyers can assess safety-threatening failures' potential liability. In many industries, black-box AI systems analyze sensor data to predict failures by detecting anomalies and deviations from typical behavior with impressive accuracy. However, PM is just one part of a broader context that aims to identify the most probable causes, develop a recovery plan, and estimate remaining useful life while providing alternative solutions. Achieving this requires complex interactions among various actors in industrial and decision-making processes. Our tutorial explores current trends, and promising research directions in Explainable AI (XAI) relevant to Explainable Predictive Maintenance (XPM), and future challenges and open issues on this topic. We will also present three case studies that highlight XPM's challenges in bus and train operations and steel factories. © 2023 Owner/Author.

Areas within the so-called ”Miljonprogrammet” (Million programme) are in a desperate need of renovation. The areas comprises of 25 percent of the total housing stock in Sweden. The increased environmental awareness from both the general public and the decision makers has resulted in a variety of technological solutions but the problems are often wider then that and includes both social- economical- and ecological factors. To solve the problems and to renovate the areas in a sustainable way there are a need for holistic models for strategic planning. The engineering consulting firm SWECO has developed such model for sustainable development in developing countries. Can this model be a possible approach to the current situation?

The concept “Sustainable City” was developed by SWECO on behalf of the Swedish government and the organisation SIDA to be presented at UN’s top meeting for sustainable development in Johannesburg 2002. The concept is based on three parts: Working method, Subsystems and Institutional factors. The model is based on a multidisciplinary approach to try to find synergies between the different solutions in the process. This report focuses on the first part, the working method, since the other parts of the concept doesn’t really apply to Swedish conditions.

A thorough literature study within the range of sustainable development was conducted to build a theoretical understanding of the term Sustainable Development. The concept “Sustainable City” was analysed, a minor case study was also conducted to get a more detailed view of the real world of renovation.

The Analyse and Result points to that the model may not be the perfect solution as the approach to working method for strategic planning within the “Miljonprogram”. The model is a well-structured method that is much based on Swedish research. There would be a need for significant changes to the concept to be adapted to work in the specific areas. A solution could be to take a step back and rebuild a new model customised for the actual areas within the “Miljonprogram”.

Sweden today has one of the world's oldest populations, and forecasts from Statistics Sweden (SCB) indicate that the older population group will continue to increase steadily in the future.At advanced ages, functional impairments often follow, such as reduced vision, hearing, and mobility, as well as cognitive impairments. Statistics also show that we continue to live in our houses at an advanced age which implies that we need to demand higher standards for the design of our homes. The requirements for design of a home are also a current issue in the energy debate, as Sweden has had a period of high electricity prices and power shortages.This study was conducted with the aim of developing a model for the design of an accessible, legible, and energy-efficient floor plan through a qualitative case study. 18 design criteria were developed and five floor plans from some of Sweden's most common house suppliers were evaluated according to the created valuation model.Ratings were made on a Likert scale, and averages were calculated both for each category and a total across all criteria, resulting in the First Choice 1.0 floor plan from Mjöbäcksvillan receiving the highest overall rating

This paper describes an attempt to include a course, “Innovation”, in an educational programme for construction engineers. This course has been divided into two parts; part 1 which is entirely theoretical, and part 2 which mainly consists of a project. The course has been given during six academic years and the response from the construction engineering student has been mainly positive. Some of the projects have resulted in feasible new products. The intention is to execute some research within the field “Innovation in Construction” with this course as a starting point.

This paper aims to suggest renovation measures to enhance energy efficiency in a historically significant brick building without altering its character. The case study focuses on a building with a high cultural value in the city center of Halmstad. An energy inventory is conducted through interviews, documentation of the building, and other relevant literature. Proposed renovation measures are examined by analyzing prior research and assessing how these solutions can be applied to the case study.

The new average thermal transmittance and the new primary energy number are calculated using established building physics formulas to determine the potential energy efficiency improvements. Results show that the proposed renovation measures improve the building’s insulation, reducing the need for heating, which in turn lowers the primary energy number. 

However, the new primary energy number does not meet the standards for new constructions, possibly due to high property electricity consumption in the reference building. If the proposed renovation measures were applied to a building with a lower property electricity consumption, a more significant reduction in the primary energy number might be achieved.

The accident frequency in the construction industry has shown a downward trend every year but this trend was broken 2010th. It is often lack of precautionary measures within work environment and safety that is the cause of accidents. The big construction companies understand the importance of precautionary measures within work environment and safety, as they spend a lot of money and time on that matter. By examining the work environment and the safety of the small construction companies you can see how they work. The report will presents how these small companies work with work environment and safety, and also how they follow the safety instructions that are available and how they make use of safety equipment. By making use of interviews with staff in small construction companies, information has been collected about how they work with work environment and safety, and how they experience them. An interview with inspector at Swedish Work Environment Authority has been done to get their point of view of the small construction companies. The results show that small construction companies can get better at planning the work environment before construction begins. The constructions sites were kept clean to avoid falls. It appeared that they sometimes didn’t use harness at small jobs on the roof, but on larger work on the roof they used scaffolds. The reason to the sloppiness of not following the safety rules were time pressure and fast pace.

Today´s roofing of dwelling houses is a very time consuming procedure, which includes a lot of different steps on the construction site. Not only does it cost a lot of money, but often do problems with rot and mold occur in the attics of houses today.

The use of prefabricated modules has seen a great breakthrough in the field of construction of dwelling houses; at least when it comes to foundations and walls, where this type of approach makes the construction process way more efficient. What no one previous has succeeded to develop is a corresponding system for roofs that meets the demands of a dwelling house. Accordingly the goal of PlusTak has been to come up with a proper module system for roofing of dwelling houses, where the roofing is completed to meet the demands of the Scandinavian market.

During the project a lot of effort has been put into customer contacts and the usability of the product, as well in the manufacturing process as on the construction site. This development has gone hand in hand with several practical tests and tryouts. The project group has also participated in the use of PlusTak at various construction sites this spring, to get a better view of what could be further developed with the product. The outcome is a complete roofing system which is almost entirely prefabricated, and only requires a few hours on the construction site for completion of a fully weather protected roof. PlusTak is a very flexible system which is perfectly suitable for different house and roof types, and fits almost any roof pitch. The visible layer of the roof is available both as a classic seamed tin roof and with traditional tiles. Thanks to the great capability of insulation within the PlusTak system it suits the modern energy efficient houses perfectly. Moreover the insulation layer of the roof is placed in the outer roof, which eliminates the problems concerning condensation that occurs in weather and temperature changes, which has been a growing issue lately.

Thus, PlusTak offers a cost-effective roof system of the as well as it provides a totally carefree ownership.

An intense marketing campaign has been conducted through several channels during the development of the product. PlusTak was presented with great success at Nordbyggmässan in Stockholm, the biggest construction fair in Scandinavia, in March 2010. This was right after the product became patent pending. PlusTak has currently sold for over one million SEK and has been quoted on request for over 40 million SEK.  The annual market in Sweden corresponds to over two billion, despite the current recession. The project group is counting on taking over 2-10% of that market within a period of five years.

The purpose of this report was to investigate the problems experienced by a variety of professions in the construction sector regarding the requirements that exist today and is set to accessibility during construction.

The study was conducted in the form of semi structured interviews, to find out the problems experienced by different professions. Interview respondents consist of those working as local manager, project developers, landscape architect, land planner, constructor, fire engineer and architect.

The result obtained shows that there are a variety of problem areas. Some unique to a profession, while others are commonly experienced and supported out of several different groups. Generally, it has been shown that there is no great understanding of each other and the problems experienced. The result mainly points out the problem that arises or will occur is affecting moisture. Regarding ground but also building technical details such as connections between the building and the balcony. Another large part of the result is of lack of space and the influence of the terrain and existing buildings. The economy has as always a strong impact.

Shown by the result, moisture tend to be sidelined and often suffer from other requirements, this could lead to big problems in the future when many moisture related problems is hard to see right away but might be causing problems later on, such as mold growth. The requirements are spread across many different regulations and often make the project stage difficult. We believe that accessibility requirements are very important and are something we in Sweden can be proud of, but the pressure that has come in recent years has made it difficult for the construction industry to keep up with and acclimatize. To create a sustainable development all requirements should be considered.

Examensarbetet har utförts i samverkan med EAB Aktiebolag i Smålandsstenar. Arbetet syftar till att utifrån EAB som ett tillverkande företag undersöka utmaningar samt för- och nackdelar med Building Information Modeling (BIM) för produktområdet lagerinredningar och pallställage.

De metoder som kommer att användas för att utföra detta arbete är en nulägesanalys för att undersöka vilka arbetsprocesser och mjukvaror EAB använder idag. En kvalitativ intervju med personal för exempelvis diskutera för- och nackdelar med dagens arbetsmetoder, önskemål från kunder och hur de tror att BIM skulle kunna användas inom EAB nu och i framtiden. Slutligen kommer en jämförelsestudie mellan nulägesanalysen och dess arbetsprocesser jämföras med en BIM-mjukvara. Även vilken typ av information som skulle kunna inkluderas i BIM-filen diskuteras. Autodesks BIM-mjukvara Revit 2021 används endast i jämförelsen.

Nulägesanalysen visar att EAB arbetar med upp till sju olika mjukvaror vid projektering av ett ställage. Mjukvarorna är inte sammankopplade och ingen information kan delas mellan dem, vilket resulterar i omarbete i samtliga arbetsprocesser. Utifrån den metod EAB använder idagsläget ligger EAB på det lägsta steget på Storbritanniens BIM-trappa (2016) och på nivå 0 på den inofficiella BIM-fördelningen.

Resultatet av arbetet blev ett förslag på vilken typ av information som bör inkluderas i BIM filen utifrån EABs perspektiv, samt hur de kan arbeta med Revit 2021 för att effektivisera projekteringen, eliminera flera steg i dagens arbetsprocess samt möta kunders önskemål.

This is a diploma thesis executed as a part of the examination of the educationalprogram Building engineer – Construction management at Halmstad University. The aim of the thesis is to compare and evaluate conventional open-cut pipe-laying withhorizontal directional drilling. The thesis includes a comparison of the economic,environmental and time-based aspects of both methods and discusses which factorsthat determine the optimal choice of method.The study is mainly based on previous studies regarding the subject and oninterviews with professionals from the industry.A fictional project with five realistic cases of pipe-laying scenarios was compiled,sent to different companies for calculation, evaluated and compared. Our conclusionregarding when it’s suitable to use which method is entirely dependent on thespecific project. The different methods each have specific pros and cons and shouldbe evaluated regarding the projects economic, temporal and environmental demands.In bigger projects we see that a combination of the two methods can be suitable.

Keywords: Horizontal directional drilling, trenches, open-cut trench methods,excavation, conventional trenches, pipe-laying, economic analysis, environmentalanalysis, time-based analysis

The increase of population results in more housing buildings and infrastructure, which increases the need for stable concrete structures that can safely accommodate people. In countries like Sweden, where temperatures are below zero for several months a year, housing construction cannot come to a halt. If a concrete structure is exposed to low temperatures, the phenomenon of early freezing can occur. This can damage the structure when forms are removed. To ensure that forms can be removed at the right time without causing damage, various methods have been developed by the industry, such as the prediction tool HETT 22. This program uses mathematical models to estimate when a safe form removal can be performed, considering factors such as concrete composition and surrounding conditions during casting and curing. A comparative study was conducted between obtained measurement data from two different building projects and simulations in the software. The results of wall simulations with HETT 22 were positive and show that the program can predict with good accuracy when the removal of formwork can be performed. However, the results from the floor slab simulations were indeterminate due to lack of documentation of infrared heating, making it difficult to draw a suitable conclusion about HETT 22:s capacity for floor slab simulations.

Experiences from the authors' teaching indicate that students are becoming less focused on educational exploration and critical thinking. In parallel, Broo, Kaynak, and Sait (2022) highlight that future engineers must be fluent in different technologies, methods, and methodologies. Hence, the fast changes that take place require a highly dynamic capability among the workforce of tomorrow, which is opposite to many students' behavior in teaching and courses. This sheds light on Project Based Learning, in its essence, student-centred and with a dynamic approach to teaching where students study real-world problems and challenges (Kokotsaki, Menzies, et al. 2016). Similarities exist with Problem-based earning, where complex real-world problems are also at the centre to promote student learning. Bothhese concepts can promote the development of critical thinking skills, problem-solving abilities,communication skills, and the possibility of working in groups (see, for example, De Graaf and Kolmos, 2003). This research report documented experiences involved in moving from a more traditional teaching approach into a more project-based approach regarding a course in construction management, undertaken four times with a new structure in which a problem-based approach was developed. One of the key issues at hand with the course was to develop it and stimulate students interest in the course subject, i.e., intrinsic motivation (Entwistle, 2009), motivation that comes from “interest in what is being learned and feelings of pleasure derived from it” (pp 20), and not from external rewards (extrinsic motivation). Based on previous experiences from project-based learning, course material has been developed in four rounds, where each course provided feedback to develop the course further. The course focused on an already conducted construction project, which was modified for each round so the students could create new frames for the project. Feedback was received during the course, and individually, students at the end of the course provided feedback to coming rounds. The results from this development show interesting challenges in teaching regarding the balance between showing results from the actual project vs. stimulation of creativity among students, with a clear conclusion that age, and work experience positively affect how the students execute the projects. It also directly shows the significance of the course framing and the variation of project set-ups in the course. Our findings also show values in PBL for students’ ability to handle changes in a world with many insecure influences. © 2024 inScience Press

This report is written in cooperation with Skanska Sverige Hus Väst and it is discussing the role of site managers within the company. The report will bring up the demands that is put upon site managers and will also discuss stress related problems and how to change and develop the role as a site manager.

We came up with three conclusions in this report. We believe that Skanska could develop VSAA to make it easier to use for site managers. We also believe that a further development of the project engineer is of great value, to give him or her greater responsibilities. The last conclusion is to change the responsibilities between the site manager and the production manager, to give the production manager a greater responsibility in the production.

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of the thesis work is to investigate how to use digital tools more in building design and why it is not more used today. The purpose is also to investigate the knowledge and experience of using digital tools from an overall perspective from a full-time contractor.

Method: This report has been done both on the basis of a quantitative and qualitative study. The quantitative study provides answers to research questions and provides a hypothesis of an expected result. The qualitative study poses questions about experiences and experiences that create a personal result.

Result: The thesis clearly shows that it could have been a great advantage of increasing the use of digitization and digital tools in the design process of a construction company. The motivation exists with most officials, which is a major contributing factor in achieving their goals.

Restrictions: The thesis is limited to viewing digitalization and digital tools from an overall perspective during the design process, and then only the design process and not the production. the company BetonmastHaehre Göteborg AB will also be in focus when the work has been done in cooperation with them.

Consequences: The assessment is that there is a good chance of increasing the use of digital tools in the construction industry if companies are actively working on the issues that the employees have. At the time, the construction company can become more attractive to the market, both for new employees, new clients and those already established in the company.

Sweden are building more than ever and the lack of manpower in the construction industry is today greater than the supply. However, since the great migration in 2015, a new workforce has been discovered. Previous studies show that the problem of persons with foreign descent is that cultural differences, communication and discrimination can arise, which in turn leads to the fact that people with foreign descent are not recruited

The aim of the study is to investigate the perceived causes of a low number of employees with a foreign background with regard to recruiters and foreign employees in the construction industry. The authors have chosen to interview respondents only from the larger company’s and to ensure anonymity, the companies have not been mentioned and the respondents in the study have received fictitious names. The authors did sent a well-formulated email and contact was also taken by phone, to a targeted selection of employees where finally nine (n = 9) people opted to participate. The collection of data was carried out with the aid of semi-structured interviews and via a structured structure three basic topics was elected, which forms the basis of the study's empirical data. The result showed, above all, that the language was considered the fundamental reason of the low number of employees with foreign descent. Discrimination and cultural differences were also seen as an obstacle.

Keywords: Diversity, culture, cultural differences, integration, immigrants, gender distribution, foreign labor, norms on the construction site, discrimination, communication, immigrants

År 1977 trädde lagen 1977:439 om kommunal energiplanering i kraft i samband med allt mer uppmärksammade miljöproblem. Detta innebar att alla kommuner i Sverige nu var tvungna att arbeta fram en plan för tillförsel, distribution och användning av energi. Planen skulle följas upp löpande och visa såväl genomförda som nya mål. Drygt trettio år har gått sedan dess och miljöproblemen har genom forskning visat sig allt mer hotande för varje år.

Idag belyses energieffektivisering som en av de både mest effektiva och långsiktigt hållbara lösningarna på energianvändningens negativa miljöpåverkan. Dessutom är det till och med ofta lönsamt att investera i energieffektiviseringar. Rimligtvis bör dessa vara en viktig del i den kommunala energiplanen, men är de det? Arbetet redovisar i vilken omfattning som energieffektivisering prioriteras bland de kommunala målsättningarna och åtgärdsförslagen. Resultatet är att de allra flesta av energiplanerna borde vara mer i framkant än idag. Generellt saknas det förslag på åtgärder och många av planerna förlitar sig istället på övergripande mål om en minskad total energianvändning.

En viktig slutsats av granskningen är att energiplanerna skiljer sig stort åt i såväl upplägg som målsättningar, vilket tyder på ett bristande samarbete kommuner emellan samt en oprecist formulerad lagtext. I en bedömning av de tolv energiplaner som granskningen innefattar kan vissa förefalla mer föredömliga än andra men utifrån lagen är det svårt att peka ut någon som oduglig eftersom lagens krav är mycket tolkningsbara. Urvalet av Västra Götalands 49 kommuner gjordes i samråd med Margareta Hallander med ambitionen att få en spridning av små och stora kommuner samt landsbygd och tätort.

Examensarbetet visar även upp ett föredömligt tillvägagångssätt för att få en konstruktiv och motiverande energiplan som skapar förändring. Som grund till detta goda exempel ligger litteratur och egna åsikter.

It is a well-known problem that concrete needs to be made more efficient and that it is the large consumption of cement that is the major contributing factor to the nearby need. There is a zero vision of a climate-neutral concrete where all CO2 emissions in the life cycle of the concrete are to be reset by 2050. It is a question of improving, above all, the process of handling CO2 in the production of cement. This study tackles CO2 emissions from the concrete from a holistic perspective, by exploring optimization possibilities when implementing a newly developed concrete in residential buildings, called Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC). While it should be a better alternative for the climate, it should also require less material consumption and be more cost-effective in order to create a competitive alternative to the conventional alternative today, called Normal Concrete (NC). UHPC is during a development phase regarding optimization opportunities and it has been proven in several studies to be able to relate better to a sustainable design, based on a total life cycle progression. This applies above all to large and robust bridge structures where large volume differences are available. The idea behind this study is to highlight the question of whether there is an opportunity to get similar results in the construction of less robust components in residential buildings, since the problem with the mix design for UHPC has been the overall high cost in relation to NC. In recent years, this cost has been reduced and now there are opportunities to effectively introduce UHPC into another segment.In this study, columns and beams were dimensioned in a residential NC building and a residential UHPC building with ETABS (CSI 2019). Furthermore, the components of the buildings were compared, based on the aspect of a sustainable design from a total LCA. What was investigated were the differences in total material consumption, CO2 emissions, and costs.The study showed that the UHPC components were better based on all aspects after its total LCA. The total cement consumption was larger, but the building received at the same time an estimated double the lifespan of the NC- building. The total material consumption in the form of total component volumes became smaller, the total annual CO2 emissions became smaller and the total annual costs became smaller as well.

Purpose: There are several urban areas close to the sea and other water bodies that may be adversely affected by erosion and flooding. Global climate change, including sea-level rise and more intense and damaging storms, will increase the threats of natural hazards in several areas. Mitigating and adapting to these risks in urban areas are huge challenges for society. There is a need for a proper decision basis to build a society that is economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable. By incorporating coastal hazard and risk mapping into spatial planning, new developments can be diverted away from threatened areas. Further, by taking adaptation measures, risks in existing urban areas can be reduced. The purpose of this paper is to address these issues.

Design/methodology/approach: This paper presents the results of two case studies and discusses the prerequisites for impact assessment and project appraisal and how this is used and accepted by the users and decision-makers.

Findings: A guideline has been developed as a tool for the integration of costs and benefits in decision making on investments in coastal zones. The guideline gives an overview of why, when, and how impact assessments and project appraisals can be made using socio-economic valuations of coastal areas affected by erosion. Two case studies have been performed to demonstrate the practical application of the guideline and economic analysis and valuation in coastal management.

Originality/value: The guideline can be used to prioritise areas that need attention due to threatened shorelines, and to decide which preventive measures are the most efficient from a socio-economic point of view.

The purpose of this paper is to get an understanding if the climate declaration is an effective policy instrument in the construction sectors supply chain. In present time, it is difficult to predict how the effect of this instrument will affect the market and if it will be an effective and prerequisite regulation in the future. A policy instrument can contribute to higher costs for both organisations and individuals. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to examine whether the transaction costs differ before and after the climate declaration was introduced, dependent on the public or private construction sector and investigate if there is a difference dependant on the design-build contract or design-bid-build contract as a procurement form. With the help of a survey that was distributed to over 590 individuals in 38 different companies, the survey asked questions regarding their experience in the design phase, procurement phase and the construction phase of, request for tenders and tenders, before and after the climate declaration was introduced. The results demonstrate there is a difference before and afterwhich can indicate that the transaction costs also have increased regardless of which sector or form of procurement. 

Sweden has a long tradition of refugee immigration to the country and with labor skillshortage that exists in the construction sector, larger construction company in Swedeninitiated to start recruitment and education program to integrate high skilled immigrantengineers into their company.The purpose of this study aims to investigate how immigrants’ engineers experienceintegration in the construction sector by examining two different construction companies'programs in Sweden.The study was conducted using a qualitative method. The literature used has highlightedconfirmation issue areas. Subsequently, interviews have been conducted in a semi-structuredway with immigrant engineers working within the companies to investigate how integrationhas taken place from their point of view, in what was good and what is perceived less good.The analysis and discussion of the results have been used to ascertain how the immigrantsexperienced the time during the program. A general conclusion is from the perspective of theimmigrants that the opportunities are enormous with the program created by the company tointegrate immigrant engineers into the construction industry.

This study aims to gain a greater insight into cycling as an element of mobility among those in later life. The characteristics and views of those who cycle, those who have never cycled, as well as those who have discontinued cycling in later life are the main focus. Malmö, a city in the south of Sweden with a strong emphasis on bicycle planning, is the study area. This study employed a mixed methods approach. The quantitative element comprised a survey which aimed to capture the trends at play when it comes to cycling within this age group. The qualitative element encompassed two focus groups which were carried out in order to gain a deeper insight into older persons’ perspectives and perceptions with respect to cycling. The study׳s findings illustrate the very positive and important role cycling can play in the mobility of older persons in the city of Malmö. It is not only possible but also mostly enjoyable for many older people to cycle. Cycling is a facilitator of activities and is largely associated with convenience and ease. There are clear differences between cyclists and non-cyclists, with the former generally having a wider range of mobility opportunities available to them. Cycling cessation is anticipated as a very distressing, yet inevitable, life event by those who still cycle. The results of this study suggest that campaigns aimed at increasing the awareness and consideration of other road users towards older cyclists, as well as the introduction of clearer and more visible signage could support older cyclists in prolonging their cycling, as well as improving the experience they have as they do cycle. Increasing awareness of the health benefits of cycling could be another means of encouraging people to continue cycling as they age. © 2016 Elsevier B.V.

The importance of introducing measures to increase the modal share of cycling has come to the fore in both policy and research in recent years. The benefits of increased cycling are wide-ranging; with cycling often considered to contribute to more attractive public spaces, increased safety, and more sustainable urban life.

Different parts of the world are seeing an increase in the modal share of cycling. However, these increases are largely attributed to commuter traffic, with older persons somewhat underrepresented. There is, however, some evidence to suggest that developing strategies for cycling promotion across the lifespan, and particularly into later life, would allow people to continue travelling by bicycle as they age. While much is known about the car and the importance of the car in facilitating mobility in later life, much less is known about cycling and its role in the mobility of older persons.

Employing a mixed method approach, this study aims to gain a greater insight into cycling as a mode of transport among those in later life. The study explores (1) the key differences between older cyclists and older noncyclists; (2) the perceptions of older cyclists in relation to cycling as a mode of transport; and (3) the factors which are associated with cycling cessation in later life.

Malmö, a city in the south of Sweden with a strong emphasis on bicycle planning, is the study area. The city of Malmö is an interesting case as Malmö Municipality has put a strong emphasis on its aim for cycling to be apart of its inhabitants’ everyday lives.

A survey aimed to capture the trends at play when it comes to cycling among those aged 65-85 living in Malmö city (N = 456). Two focus groups were carried out in order to gain a deeper insight into older persons’ perspectives and perceptions with respect to cycling. The focus group discussion guide comprised two main themes: ‘Reasons for cycling/not cycling’; and ‘The cycling experience in Malmö’.

The key differences between older cyclists and older non-cyclists were focused around the factors of gender; health and activity; mobility opportunities; and life course and intentions.

Cycling cessation was associated with those who do not participate in all desired activities, those who do not have access to a car in the household and those who do not associate cycling with health. The only variable associated with a higher odds of having ceased cycling was age, meaning that, by and large, the older the respondent the more likely he/she is to have ceased cycling.

The study’s findings illustrated the very positive and important role cycling can play in the mobility of older persons in the city of Malmö. It is not only possible but also mostly enjoyable for many older people to cycle. Cycling is a facilitator of activities and is largely associated with convenience and ease.

There are clear differences between cyclists and non-cyclists, with the former generally having a wider range of mobility opportunities available to them. Cycling cessation is anticipated as a very distressing, yet inevitable, life event by those who still cycle.

The results of this study suggest that campaigns aimed at increasing the awareness and consideration of other road users towards older cyclists, as well as the introduction of clearer and more visible signage could support older cyclists in prolonging their cycling, as well as improving the experience they have as they do cycle. Increasing awareness of the health benefits of cycling could be another means of encouraging people to continue cycling as they age.

Plastic shrinkage cracking in cementitious materials is caused mainly by rapid and excessive moisture loss during mixture’s early ages, before sufficient tensile strength is gained. A novel model has been previously developed by the authors to estimate the severity of plastic shrinkage cracking in concrete. This paper presents findings of a series of full-scale experiments carried out to validate the accuracy of the proposed model. The experiments included investigating the impact of cement type, water-cement ratio (w/c), and admixtures (i.e., accelerator, retarder, and superplasticizer). The tests were performed in three rounds under similar ambient conditions using 3 slabs (3 m × 2 m) and 3 ring test moulds at each round. The results confirm the accuracy of the model in anticipating/comparing the cracking severity of the tested concretes. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd

Introduction

Managing resources efficiently in a building process is of great importance in a sustainable development. The framework in a building process contains legislations and rules from a societal perspective combined with demands of a more efficient way of working within the companies involved. The knowledge of all actors involved must be used in order to solve this complex task. The quality of new buildings does not always match the expectations from the clients today so efforts must be done to improve the process. Another urgent issue is to deal with existing buildings. Participatory governance can describe the citizens’ democratic right to participate in decision-making concerning building or renovation processes. The public sector in Sweden discusses the possibilities of working more systematically with the ambition to use all the resources in a better way and with an end-user perspective. Today different processes seem to be parallel and do not always support one another. How can we achieve the best quality in the integrated process and in the end-product? Can a genuine dialogue and integrated processes be one way to achieve a better result? The case study evidence suggests that the primary focus of the logistics concept in construction is to improve coordination and communication between project participants during the design and construction phases, particularly in the materials flow control process.

Problem

The Building Industry faces challenges both in new building projects as well as when dealing with existing housing areas. The economical resources are limited and the regulations and restrictions are many. Examples from the Swedish building industry show severe problems with quality and how to manage the financing of the damages. The knowledge and awareness ought to be within all actors involved in the process but the question is if there are obstacles for using it? Where and when shall the resources be adopted to the process and which are the effect of a more integrated way of working? A gap can often be indentified between different processes and actors involved in this complex industry dealing with governing the built environment:

Theoretical framework

In the planning- and building process several kinds of flows are managed simultaneously. The flows are governed within and between the companies involved, the residents and the governmental framework of regulations and laws. If using a combination of theories from transport logistics, design methods and quality management maybe some of the existing gaps in the process could be avoided. The challenge is to see the possibilities in new demands in services and products. New skills, competences and attitudes are required when working with processes. It is also of great importance to create an understanding and acceptance for the changes. Starting with defining and focusing on the end-user in the process can be an important unifying force. Customer driven processes and a modern perspective on quality puts the end-users needs, expectations and requirements in focus. Using theories from the design area one could start with looking into Architectural design where decisions influence the artificial environment in our every day life. The act of designing is a complex activity undertaken a close cooperation with many other actors. There is a growing recognition of the importance to think more creative and dynamic by adding values and culture into the process If implementing the lean thinking philosophy and tools into construction industry one must include lean ideals and tools into the participating organisations. Eliminating waste and maximising value must be applied into the processes within the organisations as well as on site-based construction. Logistics activities commonly involve movement and storage for the purpose of having the desired object of at the right place at the right time. Transport, storage and distribution are cornerstones of logistics and its most visible manifestations. For the construction industry, logistics comprise planning, organization, coordination, and control ofthe materials flow from the extraction of raw materials to the incorporation into the finished building Several Swedish laws emphasize the importance of the involvement of residents and end-users in the planning- and building process. Communication and knowledge transfer can be used as a tool for combining parallel processes. Digital communication networks offer the possibility of better links between clients, designers, construction organizations and suppliers

Case study results

Three case studies are used to exemplify different levels of collaboration and integration between parallel processes. Case I and II was part of a doctoral thesis and the third case is an ongoing research project not yet documented.

Case study analysis

Case studies on large scale projects in Sweden shows that working with the end-users needs and requirements in focus can support the complex building process. Working in a more integrated way can support the complex mix of technology, people and decisions involved. Recourse logistics models and customer driven process methods can support the integration of parallel levels and phases in the process. The dialogue between the actors involved where experiences are shared can also give new and useful knowledge if it can be developed in a generous atmosphere.

Conclusions

Some experiences from three different case studies in Sweden shows that it could be possible to use more of logistic models and “Considerate Lean” models in the building and planning process. There is an opportunity to get long term sustainable housing by involving the residents and end-users and by using their knowledge in the process. Logistics require that all involved processes are communicating with each other. If not, the lean model will be hard to apply. Lean is about taking away all waste that is not used in the value added process. It concerns time, products, costs, etc. If this is done in a proper way it is possible to make a shift to a more value added process i.e. storing activities can be used for more productive and value adding work.

With a growing density in the cities, we are building more and more compact with fewer space for green areas. At the same time, the biodiversity has been going through extensive changes due to humans’ impact on the planet. Nature-based solutions (NbS) is one of the important tools to cope with climate change and other important challenges of the community. The aim of this study is to create a deeper understanding of what possibilities and limitations there is for Nature-based solution for the Swedish circumstances. This is a qualitative study based upon a literature study and interviews, that unravels what NbS implies, what the project process looks like and how it overlaps with the plan and building law in Sweden. The study shows how to implement NbS to the plan and building process, there are many possibilities to implement but few means to control the outcome through the process. Today the sustainability work is mostly built on minimum requirements, society impacts and on good will. To better implement NbS the study shows that though the environmental impact assessment the work is the most equivalent compared to NbS project process and also has the authority to regulate different protection measures.

Title: Real estate companies' acceptance of digital innovations - A study focused on the impact and effect of digital mailboxes on real estate companies.

Subject: Bachelor's thesis in business administration- specialization real estate company acceptance of digital innovations, 15 HP.

Problem statements: What does the acceptance of digital innovations look like in real estate companies with a main focus on apartment buildings?

What impact and effect does the implementation of digital mailboxes in apartment buildings have from the perspective of real estate companies?

Purpose: The aim of the thesis is to examine from a broad perspective real estate companies' views on the implementation of digital innovations in apartment buildings. More specifically, the implementation of digital mailboxes and opportunities in the development of postal market. The goal is to spread the knowledge and hopefully form the basis for future decisions in the area.

Method: This study uses an abductive research approach, with an inductive core. The studybegan by identifying a current research area. The researchers collected empirical material and examined scientific articles to identify a research gap and create a problem formulation. To answer the research question, the researchers collected primary data through qualitative interviews with seven selected stakeholders at seven different companies. The survey is limited to five different respondents at different real estate companies. These five were supplemented with interviews with the Swedish post and telecom agency, as well as interviews with the authority for digital administration.

Conclusion: The real estate companies place great focus and a lot of resources on digitization and digital innovations. However, it appears that the real estate companies have difficulty predicting the results of the projects. A clear understanding needs to be created about how the implementation affects the staff, why the system is implemented and all about the implementation benefits.

It turns out that the area around digital mailboxes and digitization of letters is something that has not been discussed whether externally or internally within the real estate companies. The study shows clear incentives and motivation from the real estate companies to be part of the future development. The study shows that increased cooperation between the postal sector and the real estate companies, increases the opportunity to take advantage of benefits and reduce shortcomings caused by  the digital structural transformation that the postal market is facingtoday.