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Cleaner Technology Projects in Denmark 1997

Environmental Management of Residential Constructions in Ballerup

Miljørigtig projektering ved renovering af boligbyggeri i Ballerup
Arbejdsrapport nr. 36, 1997, Miljøstyrelsen

Lundegaarden I is a housing scheme with a total of 628 dwelling units. The scheme was completed in 1969.

The houses are attached, constructed in sandwich elements of concrete, supplemented with light elements as facades, roofs and internal walls. The roofs are flat clad in roof paper. The crawl way design is without any moisture membrane towards the soil. Each house is provided with a garden to which the light facade walls face. The heavy gables and facades, which only in some few houses have windows, are directed towards the local paths.

As for many projects, economy and functional and architectural requirements have more or less outruled the environmental requirements. In the housing scheme, Lundegaarden I, the problems connected to fungi have concerned the working method as well as the suggested solutions, so that environmental management in the project design in practice has been a supplement to the ordinary design.

Lundegaarden I has had much public attention partly due to political reasons and partly to economic reasons. The design has thus not adhered slavishly to the normal phase distribution, since considerations of for example "demolition or not" have been taken simultaneously with the assessment of actual suggested solutions.

Prior to commencement, a technical audit was carried out to establish the actual extent of the mould problems.

In the environmental programme some environmental impacts were chosen and described in principle and prioritised. The indoor climate was the subject matter of the renovation project and it was given high priority. As an ultimate requirement the mould and moist problems should be removed.

As is common practice in connection with most renovation projects, the energy consumption should be reduced. Neighbour inconvenience would as a natural consequence be taken into consideration due to the large extent of the renovation work. The work environment and the solid waste problems were given higher priority due to the extensive mould attacks.

During the programme phase the "environmental management circle" was discussed several times - more or less systematically. Certain problems were elaborated, while others were subject to only a sporadic investigation. The systematics were always "inventory - assessment - documentation".

Four more or less parallel investigations were carried out. (I-IV).

In all investigations the evaluation parameters were consistent, regardless of the type and level of the investigations. The result has been that the considerations on indoor climatic problems currently have been supplemented with considerations on energy consumption, work environment, neighbour inconveniences and solid waste.

The technical investigation showed that the mould attack was very extensive. The consequences of this fact meant that the renovation of Lundegaarden I could be so comprehensive that a total demolition of the housing estate and reconstruction was a realistic alternative. The conclusion was that a renovation should be carried out. This was not due to considerations to the environment, but primarily to the architectural values of the housing estate.

When it was decided to aim at a renovation, which apparently would be very costly, it was considered to divide the renovation into two or more phases. The conclusion was that the renovation should be in one phase, as the environmental impact at more renovations would be heavier. The reasons are larger amounts of solid waste and inconveniences to the residents as well as destruction of the area and a poorer working environment in connection with repeated renovations.

For communication to the residents and politicians a preliminary design was prepared illustrating different solution models. The conclusion suggested a total renovation in which all building components should be removed and rebuilt - except of foundations and heavy external walls.

The Consultant’s radical suggestion of an almost complete renovation of Lundegaarden I resulted in some critical remarks. Therefore, an external expert group was established to assess these and to investigate whether it would be possible to establish more economical renovation methods, which could ensure a satisfactory indoor climate.

The conclusion was that the original suggestion should be implemented. Among other things it was due to the lack of existing documented experiences in fungi damage establishing the extent of necessary and sufficient renovation measures. The Health Authorities could thus not accept solutions, which did not completely remove the micro fungus problems.

Environmental impact assessment on building components was already carried out in connection with the preparation of the building programme. Therefore the pilot project was primarily designed to investigate the environmental problems connected to an industrialised production as opposed to construction in situ.

The conclusion was that the industrialised construction - everything taken into consideration - would result in a better work environment, less neighbour inconveniences and less waste. This is primarily due to the fact that the industrial process is easier to manage than the craftsman methods.

Author/ institution

Birch & Krogboe
Blad & Thygesen A/S
KAB – Construction- & Building Administration S.m.b.a.

This report is subsidised by the National Council for Recycling and Cleaner Production

ISSN no. 0908-9195
ISBN no. 87-7810-791-1

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