The climate impact of office-to-residential adaptive reuse: A Swedish case study

Sweden faces persistent affordable housing shortages while simultaneously experiencing elevated office vacancy rates. Given that the building sector accounts for roughly one third of global energy demand and two fifths of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions, adaptive reuse presents a promising strategy for mitigating emissions while addressing housing needs. This study investigated the greenhouse gas emissions associated with adapting a Swedish office building to residential use. It examined how the global warming potential of the energy mix and the anticipated extension of service life influences the level of renovation and reconstruction required to minimize these emissions, in comparison with continued office use and replacement with a new residential building. Emissions were calculated using the Swedish life cycle assessment framework, modified to account for avoided emissions through retention, and operational emissions estimated from energy simulations using the IDA ICE (EQUA®) software. The results showed that adaptive reuse could be a climate‑effective strategy for extending a building’s functional lifespan, causing as little as 26% of the embodied emissions of new construction. When operational emissions over the service life were included, the adapted building caused between 47% and 74% of the emissions of a new residential building, depending on its assumed service life. However, the study also demonstrated that each adaptive‑reuse scenario must be evaluated individually, as required interventions and performance improvements vary significantly. Ensuring environmental benefit over the building’s extended service life should remain the central objective.