Bjørg Kippersund, "Involving Government and Housing Agencies in the Sustainable Design Process"
Bjørg Kippersund, Advisor at the Norwegian State Housing Bank, in Hammerfest, Norway
Summary: Ms. Kippersund gave an overview of how government housing agencies can and should be a part of the sustainable development process. She described the Norwegian State Housing Bank, their vision, goals, and areas of focus and discussed the challenges and opportunities facing the sustainable development movement.
Ms. Kippersund presented an overview of the Norwegian State Housing Bank (NSHB) – who they are, how they work and what projects they are involved with. They are the main agency for implementing the state housing policies and building designs. Their housing policy vision is “adequate and secure homes for all.” Homes are not just houses. They are neighborhoods, villages, towns, jobs, cultural activities, history, identity, transportation and economic health conditions. NSHB looks at the big picture in housing and tries to address all these aspects in their work but for this to happen, it is crucial to invite everyone to take part in the process of community development.
Ms. Kippersund then gave a brief description of her country and city. Hammerfest is a coastal community in a region of only about 150,000 people and is the NSHB’s northernmost branch in Norway. Their economy centers on fisheries, gas, oil, and tourism, as well as minerals and slate production. They are experiencing migration of the rural population into the cities all throughout Norway. They have a large Sami population. Some Sami are still reindeer herders but most have jobs in town like anyone else in the population. Their climate is 10 - 30 °F in the winter and 70 °F in the summer. They get a lot of snow due to a gulf maritime climate. It’s very windy so the snow drifts all the time.
The town was burned in 1945 during WWII and rebuilt by the late 1950’s. NSHB was founded in 1946 as part of this rebuilding effort. They are different from other housing agencies in that what they do reflects political priorities, and they are a strongly monitored public institution. Norway has a stable political system – part socialist and part democratic. NSHB gives grants and loans, funds research and promotes education and best practices. Their overall goal is to have a well functioning housing market and provision of housing for the poor and disadvantaged. They want to increase the number of sustainable dwellings and neighborhoods while keeping aesthetically pleasing standards.
A key policy is to develop an active civil society. It’s all about people belonging and being a part of the community. If people have decent homes they are more likely to volunteer, participate in cultural life, create jobs, promote their home town while traveling and be contributors to society. Good communities have less crime and social problems. NSHB’s mantra is to bring people together to address community issues. NSHB works with local authorities, private developers and individuals to influence all aspects of the building process at an early stage and to develop building codes and methods. NSHB documents the process and shares the results to increase education and builder competence. NSHB works to transfer scientific research and new technology so it is implemented by the builders on a wide scale and done right. NSHB provides financial incentives or “carrots” so that their focus areas are achieved.
NSHB focus areas include development of universal designs in housing and public buildings such as high quality indoor and outdoor designs that include handicap accessibility and use of climate appropriate materials. Another focus area is the reduction of energy use through climate adaptation, energy efficient homes and buildings within targeted areas. Homes are built on small lots, close to roads using simple designs and oriented toward the landscape and weather. They pay attention to how the rooms are placed with sleeping areas and storage on the north side and living areas on the sunny side. More recently, NSHB has focused on developing passive, net zero homes. She showed an example of a home, the I-Box 120 system that uses innovative technology such as solar collectors, air/water heat pump, an earth warmth collector and thermostat controlled blinds. This home requires less than 15kWh / m2 per year for heating and less than 7 kWh / m2 per year for lighting. Other focus areas include the reduction in use of construction hazardous materials, the more efficient use of space (indoor and outdoor) and development designs that decrease the use of vehicles. They promote aesthetically pleasing design along with the use of local and traditional building methods. Ms. Kippersund showed an example of a restaurant built with traditional Sámi wood and peat materials and a sod roof. The NSHB uses the community design process as well as urban and regional design planning processes to gather local input. It is important for each community to develop its own solutions and to share their experiences and successes with other communities in Norway and neighboring countries.
There are many challenges in moving toward sustainability such as the need for cheap electricity like hydro-power. Also it seems that legislation and regulations are always “in progress” and don’t keep pace with sustainable development. There is a shortage of contractors and laborers to do energy retrofits and they are so busy they don’t have time to learn new energy saving building technology and methods. Another challenge is dealing with climate change and the new requirements in urban and regional planning. On the bright side, people are more environmentally consciousness. There is a market for solutions – they only have to be provided. The incentive to be more efficient is increasing and we know the technology. We just have to put it in use. In conclusion, Ms. Kippersund shared a photo of an ice hotel in Alta, similar to the one she visited at the Chena Hot Springs.