Creating a space for people and nature
Greenhouse is a modern workspace of up to 20,000 square meters with occupancy starting at the end of 2023. It offers a wide range of conference rooms and shared workspaces in an open environment. When navigating the space, you constantly enjoy the change between indoor and outdoor surroundings. The building is defined by its great variation between open landscapes and more intimate meeting spaces, while simultaneously making space for non-work related activities such as yoga, meditation, and sauna. The result is a dynamic work environment generating both great focus and relaxation.
"We want to create places where people wish to be and want to return. This requires exciting contexts and a changing environment that supports modern ways of working and is attractive to employees", says Anna Kullendorff, Business development manager at Humlegården.
Recycling and reuse in mind
Being an beautiful old brick property, the goal of this project was to modernise it in a sustainable way, while still preserving the value of its history. This included, for example, keeping and reusing the interior ceilings, glass partitions, and doors. Since the ceilings were reused, a question arose. Could the luminaires also be restored and updated to meet today’s standards? Fagerhult got involved at an early stage of the project to convert and transform the old luminaires into modern presence- and daylight-controlled LED luminaires.
"By refurbishing the luminaires, we were able to achieve significant environmental and economic savings. We could keep the electrical installations, avoid new wiring and making new holes in the ceiling. To future-proof the building, we also installed our plug-and-play lighting control system, Organic Response in every luminaire. Incorporating a control system, ensures a future-proof solution since it creates the possibility to add on services and integrations to a Building Management system, if needed", says Kjell Wallin, Lighting advisor, Fagerhult.
Clear goals paved the way for creative solutions
For Fagerhult, Greenhouse is the largest refurbish project to date.
"Collaborating with a property developer who expresses such clear goals regarding sustainability and refurbishment is exciting. With over 2 700 luminaires, in three different models, being refurbished, we had to think creatively to find practical and sustainable solutions", says Jessica Wahlberg, Fagerhult's Regional manager in Stockholm.
However, transporting the luminaires from Solna to Fagerhult and back would entail significant greenhouse gas emissions and undo the environmental benefits of refurbishing the luminaires. So, with sustainability in mind – Fagerhult came up with a different, slightly unconventional, solution.
A full-scale production line on-site
A full-scale production line was created at Greenhouse where Fagerhult planned and organised all the set-up in close collaboration with the on-site electricians for an efficient workflow. We considered everything from easy transportation of the luminaries inside the building to management of functional tests and recycling by the knowledgeable assemblers.
All the old luminaries were disassembled, the luminaire body was reused, and all excess material were sorted into different fractions and recycled. The old light sources were replaced with new LEDs and integrated Organic Response sensors to save energy. Everything was customised to fit into the old luminaire body.
"On site we found old bread cages that fit into the elevators, these were reconstructed in order to safely transport the luminaires". Kjell Wallin, Lighting advisor, Fagerhult
"This project required a lot of creative solutions and quick thinking. For example, while transporting the luminaires between different floors we needed to develop special cages since the elevators were too narrow to fit a forklift. On site we found old bread cages that fit into the elevators, these were reconstructed to safely transport the luminaires", says Kjell Wallin, Lighting advisor, Fagerhult.
And since we never compromise on safety, Fagerhult also ensured the technical capabilities and safety of the refurbished luminaires. All new luminaire parts were tested at our laboratory according to current standards, which made the assembly at Greenhouse easy and efficient. After a luminaire had been rebuilt, complementary and final tests were also carried out on site. We always focus on high quality in our lighting solutions, regardless of them being old or new.
Environmental savings
By reusing parts from the luminaires, keeping the old electrical installations, and not needing to make new holes in the ceiling or new cable installations, the refurbishment of the luminaires at Greenhouse has led to significant environmental savings.
"By working with Fagerhult to reuse the existing luminaires we have saved 7.1 tons of material and 2,297 megawatt-hours of energy over a 20-year lifecycle. If we also include the environmental savings from fewer transports and less packaging, the environmental benefit becomes even greater", says Clas Boudrie, Project manager at Humlegården.
Greenhouse is proof that big steps can be taken within sustainable property development - all through close collaboration, commitment and by embracing an unconventional mindset to make it happen.
Read more about Greenhouse here
Read more about Re:Furbish
Re:Furbish is an initiative within Circular solutions – one of our four sustainability focus areas. By upgrading and improving existing luminaires, we can jointly create major benefits for the climate, the project’s economy, and future lighting comfort.
Read moreRelated News
![SKRYTA [slow design] - holding it together](https://www.fagerhult.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=540,quality=80,fit=crop,onerror=redirect/globalassets/global/_news/2019/skryta-slow-design/header.jpg)
SKRYTA [slow design] - holding it together
In a time when ingrained behaviours and patterns are being questioned, alternatives are needed. Something, or someone, that puts the focus on things of importance. SKRYTA [slow design] demonstrates with its history, that you don't always have to do things as you've done before. And thinking circularly may be the only straight way forward. NOT SEAMLESS Probably no one thought that lamps made of old donated jeans would be adorning the offices of the prestigious advertising firm Forsman & Bodenfors. And perhaps not the least Maria Zeilon, textile designer, and Lill O. Sjöberg, MFA designer, who together are SKRYTA [slow design]. Their shared interest in innovation and crafts has led them on a sustainability journey that they don't really know where will end. But they know where it starts. "We were asked to participate in a regional project in 2013–14, where waste material from the Red Cross's operations would be put to use," says Lill. "When asked, we both wanted this to be something that could be repeated, that would not just be a one-off event. Textiles are the material most donated and that are not always sold. We chose jeans to start with, and began experimenting with different patchworks with the fabric. We finally decided on denim seams, which we tried various ways braid, and from these tests, the first lamp shades emerged." "In connection with this, we received an offer to work with the Swedish Prison and Probation Service in Borås, and we really wanted to give it a try," says Lill. "We were given access to a textile hall at the prison with a number of inmates. We established very good contact and succeeded with our project. We think it was because we turned things around and asked, 'what are they capable of doing?' instead of presenting something and saying 'can you sew this?' Our idea was well suited to the purpose of the whole project. The lamp was easy to make, they were had to work together and learn new techniques." In each lamp there is a leather tag with a number so that you can see who made the lamp. From the start, SKRYTA was strict about the participants signing their lamps, so that they could feel pride and a sense of participation in what they had done. Q Lill After the first project was finished and the Prison and Probation Service's textile workshop was closed down, the duo applied for another collaborative project. Maria had a contact at the help organisation Göteborgs Stadsmission, where there were workshops for job training, and the pieces then fell into place. Within a week of their first meeting with Stadsmission, they started making samples together. With SKRYTA's experience with the Prison and Probation Service, everyone involved was aware that certain demands could not be placed on those participating. "And we continued with the reverse mindset – what can the participants do?" Maria explains. "So that it's always on the terms of the participants, which is incredibly rewarding. And without sacrificing the design." Img 1 THE PROCESS OF A LAMP When the designer duo adds new models to their collection, they work out the design, instructions and dimensions of the lamp shade. They then construct a lamp at a leisurely pace, taking their time. Job training is not rushed either. "Making a lamp shade can take 6 to 9 hours, more or less a day's work if you have all the materials and tools in place," says Maria. "We think it should be like knitting, something that you can put aside and then take up again. With the start-up work for each new lamp shade version, we now have a fixed range. However, the products available can be adapted in colour and size to better suit various preferences. Each project is typically for 1 to 10 lamps. As production time can vary, production is just right for the way our company is set up." "In addition to waste material, we also engage small local businesses. The company that makes the braids for the lamps, for example, is here in Gothenburg," says Lill. "We want to keep it that way for the entire process. It feels good when you've started thinking along those lines – how we can support the community and create awareness of the craft. It's another aspect of our product. We were quite nervous when we showed our lamps the first time, since delivery time is so long – things are a bit different. But it's just added our to story and reinforced our concept. You choose us because this is what you want." Img 2 GLOBAL AWARENESS Among SKRYTA's suppliers are Göteborgs Stadsmissionen, an internationally known producer of birch-bark products in Fjärås and carpet manufacturer Kasthall in Kinna. All these local partners have provided insight and feedback that have helped the company move forward. Even far beyond Sweden's borders. "We've had a showroom of sorts at Kasthall, where we installed the lamps for architect lunches but never taken them down," says Lill. "It's been an incredibly good platform for us, having the opportunity to show our wares to architects. We wanted their feedback – 'what do we need to think about?' They told us that we need to have more solutions than just E27, such as a light engine. We had to Google to find out what a light engine was! We found the Dino at Fagerhult and after that, we modified our lamp shade frame so that you could choose either the light engine or E27." "We now have projects all over Europe with these lamps, and it has spread," says Maria. "We've just participated in an exhibition of Nordic sustainable companies at the Swedish Embassy in Berlin, which was great fun." There is completely different awareness nationally and internationally about this way of thinking. Q Maria REUSE, REDUCE, RECYCLE Although the duo has now been active with their work for almost 6 years, it is now that they are experiencing a real boost. "During the past year, we're really seeing a different interest," says Maria. "The work we've put in is now starting to be more in tune with the rest of society. We were a bit ahead of our time – but now we're exactly where we need to be. For example, we won the sustainability award Nyttigaste Affären 2019 in collaboration with Ergon at Göteborgs Stadsmission with our socially sustainable business concept. (Link http://nyttigasteaffaren.se/2019-ars-vinnare/ ) "We're mostly targeting the public sector or businesses, and those who buy our products have no objections to our prices or production rates," says Lill. "That's because they've heard the story behind the lamp, and they consequently understand the value behind it. We want to be very clear about that, because we get a lot of requests from people who want to borrow our lights. But we want them to retain their intrinsic value, that they should not be taken out of their context." In the future, SKRYTA would prefer to scale up the company rather than expand with other products. "We've received queries from different customers who want larger quantities of our products, which means we have some decisions to make," says Maria. "We hope to work this out in a good way. But regardless of the project, we always try to be as circular as we can. We've even found a solution that allows us to reuse leftover materials from our lamps to make other lamps. That's probably the height of being circular!"
Prep Work - the showroom that makes room for the senses
How do you construct a friendly, healthy, and high-performance workspace? A space where conditions are sustainable for the employees and environment alike? Fagerhults Belysning Sverige has moved a step closer to creating a total office experience with its new showroom, Prep Work. The idea for the new interdisciplinary showroom in Stockholm originated with Kjell Wallin, Lighting Consultant at Fagerhults Belysning Sverige. “In my work in the past I have been involved in similar collaborations with other professions, and it has always been very rewarding,” says Wallin. “The aim of this expanded showroom was to be able to create a new meeting space. To provide multiple opportunities to see a work environment in a new context. We also wanted to explore synergies with the other companies, and hoped to be able to learn from one another.”The exhibition takes a holistic approach to the office environment as a workspace. How can we transform workspaces into an inspiring environment for the employees, while also considering aspects such as sustainability and long-term feasibility? “The customers we have who are planning on setting up a new office want it to increase well-being and creativity, but also reduce daily costs,” says Wallin. “And intertwined with this is are always considerations for sustainability, environmental impact, and heath. When we are able to meet in an area like the one in Prep Work, we can have a entirely different discussion together. We don’t only talk about the effect light has on people, but we focus on numerous aspects of the workspace. We find the dialogue to be a much more productive when we demonstrate the holistic aspect of the workspace.” Img 1 A COMPLETE WORKSPACE The name ‘Prep Work’ means just that – a prepared workspace. A room for work with all of the most favourable conditions for a creative and productive workday. Everything from the lighting and sound to the interior design – and even smell – was carefully chosen to achieve the most complete and comfortable environment possible.Note Design Studio composed the final experience in the showroom together with our eight partners. “Once we had collated the wishes of the different companies in the project, we understood the relationship between individual development and the workspace and work environment,” says Charlotte Ackemar, Architect at Note Design Studio. “We discussed light, sound – with regard to both adding and eliminating sound – various textile experiences, and the effect that different furniture has on us. Since workspaces change according to each workplace’s requirements and possibilities, we wanted to provide examples of situations for which the office spaces can be utilised during a workday. Based on this, we wanted to inspire them so that would be able to identify their own solutions to how they could advance this in their organisation.” Img 2 DIFFERENT SECTIONS DURING DIFFERENT TIMES OF THE DAY In the work, three different sections of the office were identified: a warm-up place, a production area, and a section where one could conclude the workday in contemplation. The partners identified the pieces together, and, in more than one case, customised products for this showroom in order to provide a good idea of what the offices of the future may look like.The impact of light was an important aspect in the project in order to emphasise the different sections during a workday. And, not least of all, the control and adjustment of the lighting during the day. Humans have not evolved for operating in production mode for a full workday, there needs to be time for breaks and recovery during the day. Q Kjell OFFICE 2.0? The purpose of the showroom’s redesign was to be able to utilise the space as a meeting space, for inspiration as well as information. “Prep Work is meant to be used as both a discussion forum and a hub, where trends and the future of work environments and offices can be discussed,” says Ackemar. “At the same time it is also a statement, where we start to speak about the total experience in which all senses are engaged.” Kjell Wallin elaborates: “It is already a very popular area at our workplace. One or more of our own employees use it every day as an alternative to their ordinary workspace. Many of our partners have held customer visits and events in Prep Work, and we have an ongoing dialogue about how we are going to further develop it in 2019 – and sustain interest in it. The idea is for it be a space for inspiration, trends, and discussions. Things change over time, so who knows what our showroom will look like next year?” Partners in the project: Tarkett Hässelby Blommor Gulleds Naava Lexter Doberman.co Zilenzio Kvadrat And Note Design Studio Img 3