Skåne, Sweden
Andreas Lebisch, architect and sustainable construction business developer, gives us insight into the incredible potential of timber for sustainable construction and how his country home, Villa Skäret or Kvartshus, featured on Grand Designs Sverige, grew out of his sustainable ideals.
Andreas’ career has been defined by a passion for design and a drive toward sustainability. He thinks it is important to challenge construction conventions, especially when considering shared social and environmental challenges. We spoke with him about how his career impacted his family's summer home's design and build.
Andreas points out that there is a lot of waste in a typical construction process, starting with the material, but challenging conventions in construction can be daunting. The processes and materials chosen for construction projects are long-entrenched and are a big part of why the construction industry is responsible for 39% of all carbon emissions.
"Being responsible for the finances of a project means using resources wisely. Every single building part must be counted, and it is important to find sustainable solutions that last a long time with as few emissions as possible."
— Andreas Lebisch
In his role as a sustainable business developer, Andreas is an advocate for a scaled approach to sustainability that makes business sense for his firm’s clients. Aiming for better, not perfect, can help sustainable practices move into the mainstream more quickly.
“On some projects, I have one leg in the old days and the other in the future — new techniques and old techniques can come together to make significant changes to the future of our planet.”
— Andreas Lebisch
Andreas and his firm run a climate analysis of all their buildings before they build and afterward. The Swedish government incentivizes high-performance buildings, which makes it easier to bring clients on board to new ways of sustainable construction.
Using timber for a sustainable future
Timber is an excellent construction material in terms of carbon emissions, especially when considering timber versus steel or concrete. When aiming for sustainability, the whole lifecycle of a building’s materials needs to be considered; it’s crucial to prioritize materials that lead to high performance after the ribbon-cutting and are also sustainable to create.
Timber is a renewable resource that grows naturally, especially in environments like Sweden’s forests. Steel and concrete are carbon-heavy to create, and after the building process, they don’t do anything to offset carbon in their environment. On the other hand, timber is carbon-negative because it collects and stores carbon from its surroundings.
CLT (cross-laminated timber) is a material that allows for a lot of flexibility. It can be cut in prefabricated shapes in a shop, and then quickly assembled on-site. Leveraging prefabrication in construction can dramatically cut down on construction waste and surprises in time or budget.
Wood also makes for spaces that are pleasant to be in. Because it is porous, wood changes with the humidity of its surroundings and traps excess carbon in the air, making it a natural air purifier. Timber has a lot of insulating quality; it also keeps warm air inside in the winter.
Sustainability meets natural beauty: Kvartshus from Grand Designs Sverige
With his design, sustainability, and business background in mind, Andreas approached the design and build of his family’s holiday home, Kvartshuset. The home was featured on an episode of Grand Designs Sverige, an architecture and design TV show that followed his family’s design journey for two years.
Shaping the design of Kvarthus
As with any architectural project, Andreas began Kvartshuset’s creation by studying the surrounding context. His family built a wooden platform and camped on the empty plot of land for two summers to get a feel for the place, how it changed day-to-day, the movement of the environment outside of their plot, and the way the naturally growing plants ebbed and flowed. Through their immersive observation, they found the perfect site for their home — at the lot’s highest point, tucked away amongst trees and stone formations.