Renovation or demolition? Management insights into addressing aging school and preschool buildings in Sweden

Abstract

This article examines the choice between renovation and demolition and new building construction approaches for addressing aging school and preschool buildings in Sweden. This study aims to identify common reasons for implementing measures and to analyze the effectiveness and limitations of renovation to address these problems. This study identifies essential factors relevant to the management of these buildings that contribute to the benefits from a management perspective and assesses the extent to which these benefits are realized through renovation. Data were collected through qualitative interviews and questionnaires with municipal managers overseeing school and preschool buildings. The findings show that renovation is the most common approach, however, limitations exist in increasing capacity, achieving economies of scale, and fully improving poor indoor environments caused by structural issues. The results also showed that smaller municipalities struggle with a lack of economic resources to address problems in school and preschool buildings. Despite the higher costs per square meter, demolition and new construction are sometimes viewed as cost-effective alternatives, contributing to many of the identified benefits from a management perspective. This study provides valuable insights into the decision-making process between renovation and new construction, balancing building functionality with management needs.

Keywords

• educational buildings
• renovation
• rebuilding
• renovation versus demolition
• building management