This report highlights how climate change is affecting the property sector in Sweden, focusing on increased risks because of extreme weather such as floods and storms. Examples from recent years, including storms Hans and Babet as well as the floods in Gävle and Kävlingeån, underline the significant financial consequences for both municipalities and private property owners. The report notes that new EU laws increase demands for sustainability reporting and climate risk analysis, which will also impact financing. Many of today's physical risks can be reduced with relatively modest efforts, such as adapting existing buildings. The National Expert Council for Climate Adaptation emphasises the need to move from identifying problems to implementing solutions. The report concludes that if property owners do not act proactively, society risks long-term economic losses, lower property values, and reduced financing opportunities. The main responsibility for climate adaptation lies with property owners, but the lack of knowledge is often considerable and cooperation is needed to address the challenges. The project does not cover general societal solutions or policy proposals not directly linked to the possibilities and responsibilities of property owners. A vision for climate-adapted properties aligned with EU regulations is proposed to increase resilience and reduce vulnerability to future climate-related events. The report presents a roadmap for property owners in their climate adaptation work, demonstrating how the process can be divided into five main areas that together form a systematic long-term strategy for reducing climate-related risks.

In an era of changing climate, rapid urbanization, and densification there is a need for spaces that can manage extreme weather events, such as heat waves and heavy precipitation, whilst simultaneously be attractive for the urban citizens, i.e., multifunctional spaces. In this paper a framework for integrated assessment of the potential of multiple urban blue-green infrastructure (BGI) elements to provide climate regulating and social functions, i.e. multifunctionality potential, based on best research available, in relation to cost for construction and maintenance to be used in planning is presented. The assessment of functions and costs is done on a nominal scale from 1 to 5 using a mixed-method approach (systematic literature review, model simulations and workshops). The integrated assessment is presented in a multifunctionality potential and cost matrix and allows for weighting of each function and cost, as their relative importance is context dependent. It is shown that the majority of BGI elements have a relatively low potential to provide multifunctionality in terms of urban stormwater management, heat stress reduction and recreation. Some of them to a low cost (e.g., road verges, ditches, permeable pavements) others to a high cost (e.g., green roofs and walls). The highest multifunctionality potential is found in large parks, but to a high cost. The most favourable element, i.e., high potential in relation to costs is urban forests. The matrix presented here is considered usable for making general well informed integrated decisions in planning and to enhance the awareness of single and multiple functions of BGI elements.

Swedish buildings are well insulated for winter climate, but often not optimized for summer, leading to risks of overheating during heat extremes (including heat waves). Along with a warmer climate, the risks of overheating and need for cooling are expected to increase. In this study, present and future intensity, frequency and length of overheating, based on the newly implemented recommendations for indoor temperature from the Swedish Public Health Agency, is assessed for a typical Swedish multi-story residential building in Gothenburg, Sweden. Overheating is simulated for different floor levels and room orientations using the IDA-ICE building performance simulation software. The present climate (2008–2020) is represented by observed meteorological data and the future climate (2071–2100) by statistically downscaling the observations based on RCP4.5 simulations from the EURO-CORDEX project. Furthermore, the shading effect of trees at varying distances from the building is explored. Results show that overheating occurs during heat extremes from April to October, with the highest frequency in July. Overheating periods are projected to become more intense, more frequent and longer by the end of the century. During heat waves, overheating occurs throughout the day and may last for weeks, potentially impacting not only risk groups but also the general population. The risk of overheating increases with floor level and is largest for rooms facing west and south with large windows. Trees close to buildings considerably reduce overheating in the present as well as in the future warmer climate, highlighting their effective passive cooling potential during heat extremes. The results, which are considered applicable to a large part of the building stock in Sweden as well as in other countries with similar climate and building practices, highlight the present and future challenges with overheating and the potential of trees for mitigating overheating and reducing the cooling demand in buildings. 

Swedish buildings are well insulated for winter climate, but often not optimized for summer, leading to risks of overheating during heat extremes (including heat waves). Along with a warmer climate, the risks of overheating and need for cooling are expected to increase. In this study, present and future intensity, frequency and length of overheating, based on the newly implemented recommendations for indoor temperature from the Swedish Public Health Agency, is assessed for a typical Swedish multi-story residential building in Gothenburg, Sweden. Overheating is simulated for different floor levels and room orientations using the IDA-ICE building performance simulation software. The present climate (2008–2020) is represented by observed meteorological data and the future climate (2071–2100) by statistically downscaling the observations based on RCP4.5 simulations from the EURO-CORDEX project. Furthermore, the shading effect of trees at varying distances from the building is explored. Results show that overheating occurs during heat extremes from April to October, with the highest frequency in July. Overheating periods are projected to become more intense, more frequent and longer by the end of the century. During heat waves, overheating occurs throughout the day and may last for weeks, potentially impacting not only risk groups but also the general population. The risk of overheating increases with floor level and is largest for rooms facing west and south with large windows. Trees close to buildings considerably reduce overheating in the present as well as in the future warmer climate, highlighting their effective passive cooling potential during heat extremes. The results, which are considered applicable to a large part of the building stock in Sweden as well as in other countries with similar climate and building practices, highlight the present and future challenges with overheating and the potential of trees for mitigating overheating and reducing the cooling demand in buildings

Buildings play a significant role in global carbon emissions, and offer substantial potential for energy savings and emission reduction. This research delves into the Emission Factor Discrepancy (EFD)—the variance in CO2 emission reduction projections obtained by employing either annual or hourly average Emission Factor (EF) for electricity generation. Through two detailed case studies in the Netherlands and incorporating emission data from the Netherlands, Sweden, and France, the study uncovers the potential magnitude and country-specific variability of the EFD. By demonstrating how the energy mix of a country influences the EFD, the research offers valuable insights into the accuracy of emission calculations for different circumstances, particularly in the context of transitioning to renewable energy sources. We have found that countries with energy sources having low load-following capability and low EFs exhibit a large EFD. Whereas, countries with high EFs and large deployment of Photovoltaics (PV) show a notably large EFD on emission reduction related to PV production. This highlights the importance of carefully selecting EFs when evaluating building retrofits in the context of smart city initiatives. This research highlights the need for establishing a uniform framework for calculating carbon emissions associated with retrofitting in buildings in conjunction with the granularity of data and the specific energy mix of a country. 

To reach future climate targets, it is important to verify that materials and technologies used for construction are sustainable and have a minimal environmental impact. The goal of this project was to add a broad life cycle perspective for quantifying energy and greenhouse gas emission, from the upstream flow of the construction process and the operational phase by including buildings and stormwater systems at a district level. The hypothesis was that green roofs might have a higher impact on greenhouse gas emissions as more material is needed compared to a standard roof. In return, green roofs reduce and retain stormwater, which may reduce the risk of hydraulic overloading in connected stormwater systems. This may lead to reduced CO2 emission if an upgrade of existing systems is not necessary. To evaluate this complex issue, a framework was developed combining construction modelling, energy simulation, stormwater system modelling, and life cycle assessment. The result of this theoretical study indicates that green roofs reduce and retain stormwater but are in most cases not sufficient to reduce the risk of hydraulic overloading in connected stormwater systems. The results demonstrated that green roofs should be not solely implemented to reduce and retain stormwater in the Nordic climate.

Bygg- och anläggningssektorn står för 20% av Sveriges klimatutsläpp. Klimatpåverkan kommer främst från tillverkningen av material och produkter samt från utsläppen relaterade till driftsfasen. Enligt färdplanen för bygg- och anläggningssidan är målen 50% minskade utsläpp av växthusgaser för 2030 och för 2045 är målen en netto noll utsläpp. För att nå framtidens klimatmål är det viktigt att verifiera att material och tekniker som används för byggnader är hållbara och har minimal miljöpåverkan. Målet med detta projekt har varit att lägga till ett brett livscykelperspektiv för att kvantifiera byggnaders energi-och och växthusgasutsläpp. Detta inkludera hållbara material från uppströmsflödet av byggprocessen och energi från driftsfasen. Detta inkludera även hållbara tekniker, så som gröna tak och träbaserade byggande och hållbar infrastruktur, så som dagvattensystem på distriktsnivå. Hypotesen var att gröna tak kan ha en högre miljöpåverkan och utsläppen av växthusgaser eftersom det behövs mer material för gröna tak jämfört med ett standardtak. Däremot kan gröna tak minska dagvattenflöde genom upptag och avdunstning av dagvatten vilket kan minska risken för hydraulisk överbelastning i anslutna dagvattensystem. Detta kan leda till mindre miljöpåverkan och utsläpp av växthusgaser eftersom det behövs mindre material för dagvattenledningar. Detta an leda till betydligt minskade klimatutsläpp om en uppgradering av befintliga system inte är nödvändig. För att utvärdera denna komplexa fråga utvecklades ett ramverk som kombinerar konstruktionsmodellering, energisimulering, modellering av dagvattensystem och livscykelanalys. Ramverket har testades på en väl isolerad byggnad med gröna tak och dess dagvattenhantering. Resultatet av denna teoretiska studie indikerar att gröna tak minskar och fördröja dagvatten vid lågintensiva regn, men vid en intensive regn är gröna tak i de flesta fall inte tillräckliga för att minska risken för hydraulisk överbelastning i anslutna dagvattensystem. Undersökning visar att en väl isolerade byggnad med ett grönt tak i skandinaviskt kallt klimat leder till en försumbar energibesparing. Resultaten visar även att gröna tak har i dag ett lika stort klimatavtryck som konventionella tak, så som tak med betongpannor. Utbyte av dagvattenledningar har ett relativt stort klimatavtryck; till exempel utgör 250 m av dagvattenledningar med diameter 1m lika stor klimatpåverkan som att bygga ett hus på 140 m2 . Därför rekommenderas samordning och samförläggning av ledningar för teknisk infrastruktur för en resurseffektiv planering och för att minska klimatavtryck genom grävning.

Bioeconomy helps to move towards a renewable, fossil-free future. The environmental impact is significantly reduced when replacing fossil-based products with bio-based alternatives. In a bioeconomy, all products are made from renewable and biogenic resources. In the building sector examples for biogenic sources are traditionally wooden building structures, while green roofs are becoming more popular. The goal of the present project was to assess the amount of biogenic carbon stored in green roofs and wooden buildings overall. The question is whether green roofs are improving the biogenic carbon usage of buildings and find out how that can be improved. The methods used are based on construction modelling, life cycle assessment and standardised environmental product declaration (EPD). The results indicate that wooden building structures are not enough for a complete biogenic building to move to a renewable, fossil-free future. Furthermore, the green roofs do add more biogenic carbon to the building than conventional roofs, while seen over the whole building these benefits are negligible. The results are presented as renewable and nonrenewable energy as well as biogenic carbon and greenhouse gas emissions. These are compared with conventional roofing based on non-renewable standard roofs in Sweden.

The scope of this document is to provide the procedure to be adopted by the project partners and subcontractors to produce, collect and process the data from the IRIS demonstration activities. The adopted procedure follows the guidelines provided by the European Commission in the document Guidelines on FAIR Data Management in Horizon 2020.

This document is based on the Horizon 2020 FAIR Data Management Plan (DMP) template (Version: 26 July 2016) [1], which provides a set of questions that the partners should answer. Furthermore, the Horizon 2020 template from DMP online [2] is utilized to expand the questions and provide more detailed explanations. This fourth report on DMP, submitted at M48 (Autumn 2021) of the project, describes a plan for data production, collection and processing, and the first input from the different lighthouse cities. It will be continuously updated until the end of the project, as part of work package 9, WP9 Monitoring and evaluation, activities. Specifically, DMP will be updated again in M60 (D9.11: Fourth and final update on the Data management plan).

The development of the DMP is part of the work undertaken in T9.2 Defining the data model and the data management plan for performance and impact measurement (M4-M60). Since the DMP development started in M4 (spring of 2018) of the project, this third report of the DMP provides templates for data reporting and emphasises on the interactions of task 9.2, T9.2 Defining the data model and the data management plan for performance and impact measurement, with other work packages.

An important part of this document is the data management template (DMP template). This template is supposed to be used by all partners who produce or handle datasets within the IRIS project. For example, the partners responsible for the implementation of the measures in the Lighthouse cities. By making use of this template, it is ensured that the project research data will be 'FAIR', that is findable, accessible, interoperable and re-usable. This is achieved by:

• Making data Findable, including provisions for metadata
• Making data openly Accessible
• Making data Interoperable
• Increase data Re-use (through clarifying licences)

The template is accompanied by a chapter which describes all topics that are required to be filled in. Further on, 3 DMP examples are added to illustrate what is expected, in order to facilitate the task of providing the data.

Besides the Ethical aspects as defined in the DMP template for all ‘sub’-projects, a separated chapter is written on these aspects on IRIS level.

The aggregation of data within the IRIS project has started after M30. Which means that data was generated within several measures. For this reason, the template as presented in D9.9 could be filled in as far as possible for 27 datasets. The resulting information about these datasets can be found in the DMP Excel sheet on EMDESK and as tables in Appendix 0.

The present document is the Deliverable D9.6 “Intermediate report after one year of measurement”. The document describes the work carried out within the task 9.5 entitled “Overall evaluation and impact analysis for impact enhancement”. The focus of this task is to provide intermediate results of the demonstration activities in the three Lighthouse (LH) cities and to present the data currently transferred to the IRIS Key Performance Indicators (KPI) tool.

The deliverable D9.6 is based on the work done in the Work Package (WP) 9, in particular the work in task 9.4 and task 9.5 (presented previously in D9.4 and D9.5). In this deliverable, the monitoring framework and established baselines developed in D9.5 are used to collect the data needed for the calculation of the KPIs. The KPIs are in turn used to evaluate the outcome and impact of the implemented measures. The collected data is transferred to the KPI tool, which was created and presented in D9.4. The tool processes and calculates the KPIs and visualizes the results. Data can be transferred to the KPI tool automatically, through a CIP, or manually through a template. A process which is described in this deliverable.

This deliverable was intended to be an intermediate report to provide an initial insight to the results for all measures in the IRIS project. However, due to the lack of data from measures, which in part is due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this report focuses more on providing information about the process of collecting data and transferring it into the KPI tool. This process is collaborative and has been carried out within the IRIS LH cites with support from the technical partners and the WP9 team. Complexity of APIs and the lack of standards have made data extraction and transfer into the KPI tool more difficult. Furthermore, not all measures in IRIS are connected to CIP which means that manual data collection was required and a systematic procedure for this collection needed to be developed and introduced to the partners.

There are several different reasons for lack of data and the resulting exclusion of some measures from this deliverable. A few measures are not yet in operation, while for other data collection have not started or the data transfer to the KPI tool has not been established yet. However, the work done in task 9.5 has provided new knowledge on issues and errors that can occur in the process of transferring data and establishing KPIs. Through dialogues with the project partners, the need to clarify some KPI cards with i.e. units, formulas or use cases has been highlighted. The close cooperation with the project partners has led to continued work on the definitions of the KPIs and what KPIs to include, taking steps in the direction of clearer interpretation and more consistent use. Further adaptation of several KPI-cards was done by the WP9 team. In the process of adjusting KPIs, the effect these adjustments would have on all measures that use them were considered. The process of developing KPIs involves a balance between finding indicators that can be used more generally and indicators that are more specific and thus better capture the purpose of a specific measure.

The improvements of KPIs and lessons learned in task 9.5 will be of great use in the continued work of WP9. Focus will be on transfer of data from all measures into the KPI tool. A continuous dialogue with responsible project partners to ensure this data transfer and discussions on deviation and errors in the initial results will be established.