Room for Change – Early Design Decisions for Flexible and Long-Lived Buildings in Östercentrum
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | IVL Svenska Miljöinstitutet AB |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 3 389 641 |
| Project duration | June 2026 - June 2028 |
| Status | Ongoing |
| Venture | Impact Innovation: Designing the places of the future for attractive, accessible and sustainable communities |
| Call | Impact innovation: transition lab for the living environments of the future |
Purpose and goal
The purpose of the project is to strengthen the ability of municipalities, property owners and other actors to make early-stage decisions that enable long functional lifetimes, high adaptability and resource efficiency in the built environment. The objective is to develop and test methods and decision-support tools for adaptable, long-lived and resource-efficient town centre areas, using Östercentrum as a testbed.
Expected effects and result
The project will deliver a place-based analysis of Östercentrum, a scalable methodology for early design decisions, a scenario-based decision-support tool, and national guidance. It will strengthen planning decision-making, enable development for multiple future scenarios, and reduce climate impact and resource use by lowering the need for reconstruction and new construction.
Planned approach and implementation
The project is carried out iteratively, starting with a place-based analysis of use over time, followed by identification of critical design decisions and development of a supporting methodology. This is followed by the creation and testing of a scenario-based decision-support tool. The work is conducted in close collaboration between partners and tested in Östercentrum through analyses, workshops and scenarios linked to the planning process, and further developed for implementation and scaling.