Building homes - from 4 to 1 planet
Behind the initiative 'Housing construction from 4 to 1 Planet' is the non-profit foundation VILLUM FOUNDATION and the philanthropic association Realdania, which supports the initiative with DKK 30 million each.
As part of the effort, the VILLUM FOUNDATION and Realdania wish to enter into collaborations with relevant market players.
The climate footprint from the construction of new homes in Denmark must be reduced by 75 percent.
This is the ambitious goal of Realdania and the VILLUM FOUNDATION, with a new partnership and DKK 60 million, want to inspire and challenge designers, contractors and builders to build a number of examples of homes, where the framework for the green ambitions is explored - and where resource consumption is kept at one globe a year.
In Denmark, we consume the Earth's natural resources at a rate equivalent to having four planets available. Annual. In 2022, this means that we already hit Earth Overshoot Day on March 28 - the day when we have used up the Earth's resources for the whole year.
This needs to be changed with a focus on one of the sectors that accounts for a large part of our total emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases - namely construction.
The philanthropic association Realdania and the non-profit foundation VILLUM FOUNDATION will develop a new, joint effort to push Danish housing construction in a significantly greener direction - in close collaboration with the most foresighted players in the Danish housing market.
The goal is to develop solutions and examples that it can reduce the embedded energy (CO2e / m2) from new housing construction in Denmark by 75 percent by 2030.
“Our goal is to support the development of new solutions that can reduce the climate footprint to a quarter. Buildings account for over a third of our greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, the most sustainable thing would be to stop building. But that is not realistic. Instead, we have to think and build completely differently. We want to help inspire and demonstrate how we can build new homes with a significantly smaller climate footprint, made with materials and in ways, that make it sustainable, both climatically and economically, so we can produce Them at scale. It will be really difficult, and we do not exactly know the way to the goal, but it is imperative to start the journey. The climate battle is mandatory, and the built environment must do its part, ”says Lars Hansen, director of the VILLUM FOUNDATION.
Knowledge, innovation and model buildingsThe collaboration between Realdania and the VILLUM FOUNDATION must also promote new knowledge and innovation. And it must help overcome the risks, that can arise, when new methods and materials are brought into play. Among other things, it is about testing and documenting the influence of various solutions, materials, methods and processes on the climate footprint of housing construction. In addition, the current best examples of residential buildings with a low climate footprint must be collected and disseminated to the Danish construction industry.
Alongside, Realdania and the VILLUM FOUNDATION will also invite the next generation - the young consultants, architects and designers - into the process to say their piece on, how we should live more sustainably in the future.
The effort will run in three tracks:The goal of the effort 'Housing construction from 4 to 1 planet' is to create absolute sustainability, new homes with respect for the resources we have available on our planet.
In the knowledge track, we will therefore collect and disseminate knowledge from researchers and the industry itself, so that we ensure that the efforts are based on a well-founded knowledge base and make use of the best possible tools. 'Housing construction from 4 to 1 planet' therefore works closely with a number of the leading researchers in the field from home and abroad.
The track will a.o. accommodate the preparation of a baseline and the collection and dissemination of best practice examples, which can inspire and show the way for future housing construction with a low climate footprint, from Denmark and internationally. Just as the effort will be about testing and documenting the impact of different solutions, materials, methods and processes on the climate footprint of housing construction.
Alongside, Realdania and the VILLUM FOUNDATION will also invite the next generation - the young consultants, architects and designers - into the process to say their piece on, how we should live more sustainably in the future.
Together with major market players such as general builders, pension funds and developers, it is planned to build a number of exemplary buildings with a very low CO2 footprint.
The goal is to build homes, that offer residents new and better living quarters for the good life through e.g. architecture, materials and indoor climate. In this way, the exemplary buildings must help to create cooperation, inspire and challenge both the construction industry and consumers, thereby stimulating the demand for more sustainable housing in Denmark.
The first exemplary construction is expected to begin in 2023.
Reducing the climate footprint from new housing construction by 75 percent is an extremely ambitious and complex goal. And an objective that no player or sector can succeed with alone.
Knowledge sharing and dissemination of the effort's sub-goals and results, experiences from the demonstration projects and the insights of market participants and the research group are therefore a central part of the effort's work.
The effort will involve a large number of stakeholders and market players in the work, e.g. through concrete calls.
Are you a developer, and are you interested in hearing more about the possibility of entering into a collaboration to build exemplary buildings in connection with. the effort 'Housing construction from 4 to 1 Planet'? Then you are very welcome to contact project manager in Realdania, Stig Hessellund (she@realdania.dk) or Michael K. Rasmussen (michael@purposeATheart.com), project manager on behalf of the VILLUM FOUNDATION for more info.
During 2022, Realdania and the VILLUM FOUNDATION will also open a call targeted at players within housing construction in Denmark, who want to be part of the effort 'Housing construction from 4 to 1 Planet'.
