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Building services and adaptive reuse : An overview of the regulations and potential in Swedish context

Iarkov, Ilia LU orcid ; Johansson, Dennis LU ; Janson, Ulla LU ; Fransson, Victor LU and Davidsson, Henrik LU (2025) Roomvent 2024 In E3S Web of Conferences 672.
Abstract
Adaptive reuse of buildings, repurposing existing structures for new functions, is gaining attention for its potential in sustainable development and optimisation of building materials usage. This practice is particularly relevant in the building sector, where space heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems represent a significant portion of project costs, embodied energy, greenhouse gas emissions, and impact on indoor air quality and thermal comfort. Despite its importance, the scientific literature on converting HVAC systems within adaptive reuse projects remains limited, particularly in distinguishing between adaptive reuse and traditional renovation. To address this gap, this study analyses historical and contemporary... (More)
Adaptive reuse of buildings, repurposing existing structures for new functions, is gaining attention for its potential in sustainable development and optimisation of building materials usage. This practice is particularly relevant in the building sector, where space heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems represent a significant portion of project costs, embodied energy, greenhouse gas emissions, and impact on indoor air quality and thermal comfort. Despite its importance, the scientific literature on converting HVAC systems within adaptive reuse projects remains limited, particularly in distinguishing between adaptive reuse and traditional renovation. To address this gap, this study analyses historical and contemporary Swedish building regulations, focusing on HVAC requirements across various building types and eras. This analysis assesses similarities and differences between building types in different periods. It uncovers that the absence of stringent contemporary regulations offers no formal barriers to converting HVAC systems across different building types. For example, office buildings emerge as strong candidates for conversion into residential apartments due to compatible HVAC requirements. However, buildings constructed before 1968 may necessitate extensive modifications to meet current standards. The findings suggest that post-1968 buildings, particularly apartments, align more closely with modern HVAC norms, facilitating easier renovation. This research contributes to the field by outlining practical boundaries for renovating and converting buildings based on their construction period. It provides insights into the feasibility of repurposing existing buildings in the absence of drawings and other technical details, which is instrumental for sustainable urban planning and efficient resource utilisation. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
host publication
E3S Web of Conferences : The 17th ROOMVENT Conference (ROOMVENT 2024) - The 17th ROOMVENT Conference (ROOMVENT 2024)
series title
E3S Web of Conferences
editor
Widström, Torun
volume
672
article number
03020
pages
6 pages
publisher
EDP Sciences
conference name
Roomvent 2024
conference dates
2024-04-22 - 2024-04-25
DOI
10.1051/e3sconf/202567203020
project
ASSURE - Adaptation of urban Space through SUstainable REgeneration
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
a47f8124-b926-4b5f-9700-276db6591908
date added to LUP
2025-12-05 17:48:26
date last changed
2025-12-10 10:36:33
@inproceedings{a47f8124-b926-4b5f-9700-276db6591908,
  abstract     = {{Adaptive reuse of buildings, repurposing existing structures for new functions, is gaining attention for its potential in sustainable development and optimisation of building materials usage. This practice is particularly relevant in the building sector, where space heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems represent a significant portion of project costs, embodied energy, greenhouse gas emissions, and impact on indoor air quality and thermal comfort. Despite its importance, the scientific literature on converting HVAC systems within adaptive reuse projects remains limited, particularly in distinguishing between adaptive reuse and traditional renovation. To address this gap, this study analyses historical and contemporary Swedish building regulations, focusing on HVAC requirements across various building types and eras. This analysis assesses similarities and differences between building types in different periods. It uncovers that the absence of stringent contemporary regulations offers no formal barriers to converting HVAC systems across different building types. For example, office buildings emerge as strong candidates for conversion into residential apartments due to compatible HVAC requirements. However, buildings constructed before 1968 may necessitate extensive modifications to meet current standards. The findings suggest that post-1968 buildings, particularly apartments, align more closely with modern HVAC norms, facilitating easier renovation. This research contributes to the field by outlining practical boundaries for renovating and converting buildings based on their construction period. It provides insights into the feasibility of repurposing existing buildings in the absence of drawings and other technical details, which is instrumental for sustainable urban planning and efficient resource utilisation.}},
  author       = {{Iarkov, Ilia and Johansson, Dennis and Janson, Ulla and Fransson, Victor and Davidsson, Henrik}},
  booktitle    = {{E3S Web of Conferences : The 17th ROOMVENT Conference (ROOMVENT 2024)}},
  editor       = {{Widström, Torun}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{12}},
  publisher    = {{EDP Sciences}},
  series       = {{E3S Web of Conferences}},
  title        = {{Building services and adaptive reuse : An overview of the regulations and potential in Swedish context}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202567203020}},
  doi          = {{10.1051/e3sconf/202567203020}},
  volume       = {{672}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}