A collaboration between the University of Gothenburg with the Region Västra Götaland and property owner, Vitartes, are planning a new urban vision called the Sahlgrenska Life project.
The project’s vision and goal is to bring new knowledge to care quicker through the construction of three new buildings that will physically link Sahlgrenska University Hospital with the University of Gothenburg’s operations at Medicinareberget.
Sahlgrenska serves as the largest healthcare engine in Northern Europe contributing to the vision of providing a comfortable experience to its visitors and residents. Located in Gothenburg between a National reserve and botanical gardens, Sahlgrenska provides emergency and basic care for 700,000 inhabitants across the region with a 2000 bed capacity in its sixteen floors. Its services specialize in cardiovascular care, reconstructive surgery, children’s care, vaccinations, immunology, rheumatology, and catheter interventions.
The project develops three different thematic pedestrian loops connecting various University and hospital buildings with the public transportation network. All three loops facilitate environmental research and practical planning and design tasks.
Using the UrbanCare research framework, field studies were conducted as a first step aiming to co-organizing transdisciplinary problem-solving workshops with key stakeholders.
Evaluations are performed to assess street level needs and requirements of children, the elderly, and people with different kinds of physical and/or cognitive impairments or disabilities.
more frequent and prolonged rains. As stated in a recent article by the City executive office, a high risk of flooding in several parts of Gothenburg is foreseeable (7).
Sealed surfaces bring together most, if not all, environmental degradation issues, especially rainwater runoff.
Runoff disrupts hydrological cycles, requiring expensive stormwater infrastructure to protect ground and surface water quality. Therefore, a detailed effort is set into describing the porosity and heat retention capacity of hardscape materials as well, its most important features:
Dimensions; Color; Appearance; Profile Feature; Spacer nibs; Breaking load; Abrasion resistance; Weathering resistance; Method of manufacture, etc.
Efforts are set into describing the porosity and heat retention capacity of various hardscape materials at the site.
mild summers and moderate cold winters. The annual temperature has few peaks however, recent records show temperatures surpassing 30° C in summer, which is 8 to 10 degrees higher than the average temperature at this time of the year. In the near future, Gothenburg is likely to experience frequent heat waves and increased urban heat island stress and its negative effects on health and energy efficiency of buildings.
For instance avoidable urban heat spots may increase up to 19.0% cooling energy consumption. As for public health, it is proven to cause large death tolls and the increase of heat-related diseases such as heart attacks, cardiovascular diseases, kidney failure, respiratory problems, or metabolic disorders. This affects at most the elderly, persons with chronic diseases, socially isolated groups or individuals, and outdoor workers.
Extensive asphalt and a lack of shade create intense heat around stops, Crossings, resting areas, and entrances. Surface temperatures often exceed 50°C, leaving passengers exposed and visibly distressed. Benches remain unused, crossings become physically demanding, and entrances turn into heat traps—posing clear risks for slower-paced and heat-sensitive individuals.
The campus has large surfaces of asphalt, concrete, and other hard surfaces which summed together are way under the 274 m² of green space per person average of the region. The loss of green cover, high levels of emissions, and load of suspended particles, without doubt impairs the air quality from the nearby botanical garden and green belts.
Building entrances, including the main hospital building, meet with asphalted car lanes. Pedestrian zones, such as the plaza, seating areas, and bus stops, are mostly disconnected from each other and paved with hard surfaces.
Sidewalks in general are spatious, however discontinuous and interrupted by a widespread carscape.
The amount of hard surface in comparison to green ones are measured and the ‘Biotope Ratio’ is estimated.
Click to open the Sahlgrenska Data Viewer
6.4 Km of field research
Data Analysis Reports
Collaborating partners
Alvaro Valera Sosa, Göran Lindahl (2025)
Chalmers University of Technology
Göran Lindahl: Case Coordination, Supervision
[email protected]
Ásgeir Sigurjónsson: Management and Organization
[email protected]
BHL Building Health Lab
Alvaro Valera Sosa: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Environmental Health Analyses
[email protected]
Anna Au: Data Analysis Assistance
BHL Building Health Lab
We battle climate change impacts on urban ecosystems and health across different European climate zones.
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