Making future heat actionable - Governing indoor heat in two Swedish construction projects for vulnerable groups

Sammanfattning

This study analyses how future heat risks and thermal indoor climate are handled inconstruction projects for buildings used by vulnerable groups in Sweden. As heatwaves andhigh temperatures become more common, buildings designed within a traditionally coldclimatecontext face new challenges. Since people spend much of their time indoors, therelationship between rising outdoor temperatures and indoor thermal conditions becomescentral. Building design affects how heat is distributed and decisions made duringconstruction projects therefore shape future exposure and vulnerability.The study is based on a qualitative comparative case study of two Swedish constructionprojects: an LSS residential facility in southern Sweden and a combined residential carefacility and senior housing project in a larger Swedish municipality. The analysis focuses onhow heat risks are translated into requirements, responsibilities, and technical solutionsduring the construction process.The results show that heat is embedded in technical requirements concerning indoor climateand building performance. However, the future-oriented dimension of heat risk becomesmore explicit when these requirements are connected to wider steering signals. The resultsalso show that responsibility for heat management is distributed across actors and projectphases. Clients define requirements and levels of ambition, while contractors can identifyrisks and clarify the consequences of different choices. After handover, parts of heatmanagement may shift to operation and care practices.The study concludes that making heat risk visible does not automatically lead to robustclimate adaptation. Heat-related measures must be justified in relation to other project goals,such as economy, energy performance, and practical building constraints. For buildings usedby vulnerable groups, the question of sufficiency is therefore central. Technically acceptablesolutions may still depend on assumptions about users, staff and future operation. The studyshows that future heat management in construction projects is not only a technical challenge,but a sociotechnical issue concerning how protection is distributed in a warmer climate.