Cohousing and resource use : A case study of the Färdknäppen cohouse

Abstract: In relation to the contemporary discussion about sustainable housing, this thesis investigates cohousing from a resource use perspective. Cohousing is a type of housing is based on the idea of sharing space and domestic work, while still having the privacy that a private apartment gives. The sharing of meals, space and things that is common in cohouses is often believed to save resources, and this thesis makes use of a case study in the cohouse Färdknäppen in Stockholm. To evaluate the resource use, system analysis has been used. System analysis is commonly used to analyze the environmental impact from goods or services, but not so commonly on housing in the way this study uses it. More exactly, the system analysis studied the resources used to provide housing for one person during one year, which included shelter, but also other things normally associated with a home such as meals. Results showed that the sharing of meals does not result in less consumption of food, and that sharing of things saves resources to a relatively small extent. Still, by living in Färdknäppen, a person can save as much a ton of greenhouse gas-emission per year compared to the average. This substantial save mainly comes from less use of both heating- and electric energy, which in turn results from the way the cohouse is working. The communal cooking is believed to save electricity and the sharing of space allows resident to live with less floor space in total which saves energy for heating and electricity. There is also a potential to further lower resource use by changing the diet and to live with even less floor space that could be utilized in a cohouse, as well as in conventional homes.