Shaping Sustainable Places – Development and Construction of a Low-Carbon Built Environment

Concrete has been around for more than 2,000 years, and it remains  the construction material of choice for buildings, bridges, tunnels and more. But its popularity means it has a huge environmental impact. What role will concrete play in the future of construction?

In this episode we find out how leading companies are taking on one of our most pressing climate challenges and cutting the carbon emissions from concrete production.

Guests in this episode

Karin Comstedt Webb, Senior Vice President, Heidelberg Materials Sweden.

Doctor Wolfgang Dienemann, Director Global Research & Development, Heidelberg Materials.

Doctor Bob Slansky, Head of Technical Research and Innovations, Skanska Central Europe.

Recent years have been challenging for property investors, with high interest rates and volatile property values. At the same time, increasing demands for sustainability are adding new pressures. How can an investor today ensure they get the returns they need from their sustainable property portfolio? 

We talk with two experts who share their insights into the challenges and opportunities facing real estate investors right now, both in Europe and the United States. 

This episode’s guests:      

Cecilia Fasth, CEO of Stena Property, a major property investor in the Nordic and Central European markets. 

Murphy McCullough, Business Unit President for Skanska USA Commercial Development.

There are some successful building projects that highlight the global trend towards urban sustainability and the impact of sustainable building design. To find out what it takes to design, construct and operate such a building, we take a closer look at Hyllie Terrass in Malmö, one of the most sustainable office buildings in Sweden. And what have been the major trends in the sustainable project development construction space over the past year? As we look back over our first two seasons of the podcast, we brought back a favorite guest, Lena Hök, Executive Vice President for Sustainability and Innovation with Skanska Group. Lena Hök tells us about two key trends that are really impacting the industry right now.

Guest: Åsa Johansson, Project Developer, Skanska in Sweden.Guest: Lena Hök, Executive Vice President for Sustainability and Innovation with Skanska Group

For many office workers, the post-pandemic years have meant a major transition. The return to the office has meant reintegrating into the social sphere of colleagues and customers, commuting to work, and maybe retiring those very comfortable but not too fashionable track pants. But modern workplaces have raised their game. Picture yourself working in a space that’s constructed with your comfort in mind, with cleaner air than your own home, with biophilic design bringing nature indoors, healthy food options, a gym, parking for your bike and even tools for fixing it. In this episode of Shaping Sustainable Places, we take a closer look at what it takes to create an office like that, a workplace where you want to be.Guest: Wendy Feldman Block, Executive Manager Director at Savills Northern Virginia office, USA.Guest: Katarzyna Zawodna-Bijoch, Business Unit President for Skanska Commercial Development Europe

Roads haven’t changed much in the last few thousand years. The Romans had the basic idea—a large aggregate covered in smaller stones, topped with something smoother—that we still use today. But the rock used in base and subbase of today’s roads, as well as the concrete and asphalt used on the surface, has to be mined and hauled to wherever it’s needed. Both are costly and not environmentally friendly. But now researchers are looking into cheaper, more sustainable, and smarter ways to build streets and highways.

In this episode we will take a closer look at what the new asphalt can do for the environment and for the construction industry.

Guest: Christopher Elofsson, project manager at Vällsta asphalt plant. 

Guest: Abubeker Achmed, senior researcher working for the Swedish National Road and Transport Institute. 

Guest: Jiqing Zhu, senior researcher working for the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute.

Amongst the most epic structures found on this planet, bridges are the giants. But even these marvels of engineering need a little tender loving care, so that they can serve their communities for decades or centuries to come. In this episode, we explore two exciting bridge projects.Skanska is renovating the George Washington Bridge in New York City, the world’s busiest road bridge with 300,000 vehicles crossing every day. We visit the bridge to find out what the challenges are in such a major renovation project.And with a major investment in solar energy, the Öresund Bridge, connecting Denmark and Sweden, has taken the next step in an ambitious plan to become the world's most sustainable bridge. How far off are they from their goal?This episode’s guests:

Jen Billand, senior project manager, Skanska USA Civil

Bengt Hergart, Property Director with the Öresund Bridge Consortium.

Is it realistic to believe that the construction sites of the future will be completely fossil fuel free? In this episode, we examine the benefits of electrifying construction sites and the challenges of achieving zero-emissions in construction sites.  

We visit the first fossil fuel free construction site in Sweden, Slakthusområdet i Stockholm and explore the differences between driving an excavator powered by diesel and an excavator powered by electricity. 

James Bailey, Executive Vice President for Skanska’s West Coast region, USA talks about the experiences and challenges of working with electrical machines in the major transit project, Los Angeles Metro’s Purple D Line Extension Project. 

Dr Ray Gallant, Volvo CE Vice President Sustainability and Productivity Services, USA explains what the challenges are for sites of the future to be completely fossil-free. Volvo CE is the manufacturer with one of the world’s largest ranges of electric machines for the construction industry, with the goal of making fossil-free machinery more accessible. 

Many architects agree that there are advantages to building in mass timber. 

Trees bind carbon, wooden buildings have shorter construction time, and timber offers superior insulation. So what’s impeding the material’s widespread adoption? In this episode we explore if mass timber can be a game changer for the industry. 

We speak with Andrew Waugh from Waugh Thistleton Architects, UK, whose projects have included Murray Grove, the world’s first all- timber residential tower. Andrew is an architect specializing in mass timber, and is working on projects all over the world.  

We also talk to Dean Lewis, Director of Mass Timber and Prefabrication with Skanska in the USA. Dean is responsible for the company’s work on prefabrication and mass timber projects across the USA, and he speaks warmly about our work on Portland International Airport’s innovative curved timber roof using locally sourced materials .  

This episode’s guests:     

Andrew Waugh, a founding director of the British firm Waugh Thistleton Architects, UK. 

Dean Lewis, Director of Mass Timber and Prefabrication, Skanska, Seattle, USA.

Before 2001 there were no global standardized frameworks to measure and manage greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from private and public sector operations, value chains and mitigation actions.  The creation of the GHG Protocol then allowed companies to quantify and report their greenhouse gas emissions into categories called ‘scopes’.   

In this episode of Shaping Sustainable Places, one of the world’s top experts @Pankaj Bhatia explains the surprising story of how the scope structure came about, how it works today, and what the future holds. We also look at how the concept has been put into action in a tangible way.  

This episode’s guests:    

Pankaj Bhatia, Director of GHG Protocol. 

Anders Edvardsson, Sustainability Manager, Skanska 

Ivan Cusini, Sustainability Specialist, Skanska

Circularity is one of the most effective strategies for reducing Scope 3 emissions in the construction industry. So how can we push the limits of circularity? In this episode, we visit Prague, capital of Czechia, where we find a perfect example of circularity in action. Circularity is also an important way for property developers to achieve their climate goals. Gustaf Lilliehöök, a partner with investment platform Urban Partners, explains what it takes to scale up circularity in the construction industry. 

This episode’s guests:   

 Martin Zemánek, Project Manager for the Mercury project.   

 Gustaf Lilliehöök, partner with Urban Partners, which focuses on making cities more sustainable.