Feasibility of the Implementation of Soft Landings in Sweden

Sammanfattning: Title: Feasibility of the Implementation of Soft Landings in Sweden Authors: Sebastian Eddin & Nadja Pilav Supervisor: Stefan Olander Examiner: Rikard Sundling Close to 40 percent of global energy use is associated with the construction industry and building-related activities. Although several initiatives are underway both on national and international level from both the Swedish government and the European Union regarding energy efficiency, the construction industry is lagging behind, especially with regards to building performance. The difference between projected energy usage and actual energy usage in completed buildings is substantial, with handovers and poor commissioning having been identified as among the main underlying causes. The purpose of this thesis is to examine how Swedish handovers affect building performance in practice today, to review the Soft Landings framework and its efficacy, as well as analyse its potential as an addition to the Swedish procurement process. The thesis aims to answer these through a literature review and case studies to understand its uses and potential implementations, with an additional interview study conducted with industry actors to explore whether it can be implemented in Swedish procurement processes and tackle the performance gaps in the construction industry. The results from the literature review and case studies show that the Soft Landings framework can be effective in tackling the performance gap if it is implemented early in the procurement process along with incentives encouraging use or enforcing it. The interview study revealed that there is a fragmentation of contracts used to handle handovers today in the Swedish construction industry, causing confusion and a general lack of awareness concerning best practises of the handover process, with the participants suggesting that a standardised handover process could benefit the industry. In conclusion, the studies show that the Soft Landings does have the potential to deal with the performance gap in Sweden, but that it needs to either evolve, utilising contractual obligations or liabilities, or be implemented through regulatory means as has been the case in the UK.