Danish construction project aims to reduce carbon footprint by 75%

Is it possible to reduce climate footprint of new construction by 75%? This is the ambition behind a new construction project led by non-profit organisations Realdania and Villum Fonden.

By State of Green | [email protected]

1 February 2023

About the project

The goal of the initiative is to create sustainable new homes with respect for the resources available on our planet. The initiative will activate builders, architects, engineers, contractors, researchers and idea developers in all parts of the process with the common goal of reducing the construction sector’s footprint by 75%. The project is led by the philanthropic associations Realdania and Villum Fonden.

Construction and buildings account for a major part of global CO2 emissions. Therefore, circular construction plays a decisive role in the ambitions to combat climate change.

Fortunately, sustainability is at the top of the agenda for many companies and decision-makers within the construction industry. Two of these are the non-profit foundation Villum Fonden and the philanthropic association Realdania, which are set to contribute to the development in close cooperation with leading players in the Danish housing market. The goal is to develop solutions and examples that make it possible to reduce the climate footprint of new housing construction in Denmark by 75% by 2030.

“We have to change the way that today’s industry produces and builds. And only by doing it together, we can make the construction industry greener. This initiative will bring together experts, builders, advisers and contractors to solve an incredibly ambitious challenge. We have received several applications from some of the industry’s leading players, and the number of applications, the level of ambition and the will to develop future solutions within the construction sector inspires hope,” Michael K. Rasmussen, Project manager on behalf of Villum Fonden.

Leading the way for the industry

Nine private developers and public housing organizations across Denmark have been selected to build examples, that will show the entire industry how it is possible to build new homes with four times less climate impact than normal construction projects. The development of the first project is set to start this year.

The chosen projects each receive a grant to finance sustainable development, innovation and knowledge sharing, which can contribute to reducing the climate footprint to a historically low level.

With the grant, each developer undertakes an aim for a climate impact of only 2.5 kg CO2-eq/m2/year. This is a quarter of the average climate impact of new constructions in Denmark and approximately a fifth of the new statutory limit value of 12 kg CO2-eq/m2/year.

In addition to reducing the climate footprint, the goal is to build healthy, attractive homes in an interaction between architecture, materials and indoor climate. The development process must ensure that the solutions are scalable, and in this way, the example buildings will stimulate both supply and demand for sustainable housing in Denmark.