1. From Pioneering to Mainstreaming

Sustainability can no longer be reserved for specialty projects or pilots but must be central to all of our everyday architecture. We need strategies that target the majority of all construction to make an impact. This means integrating sustainable practices into construction on an industrial scale.

Buildings like museums and corporate headquarters are important in showcasing the value of sustainable construction, but the majority of both existing and new buildings are residential. Therefore, the greatest potential in creating more sustainable practices and buildings lies in the typology. Residential construction also touches everyone’s lives in the form of their own homes. Thus, it matters what individuals consider as good living, and whether they are able and know how to demand homes and housing solutions that align with their values.

Sometimes surprising potential lies in places where we don’t even think to look. Industrial and farm buildings – often located out of sight at the fringes of cities – are large-scale structures that, due to their structural simplicity, could be built using a variety of construction methods. These halls tend to get overlooked in discussions as we often fail to recognize them as part of the domain of construction, or especially that of architecture. However, from the green transition perspective, what matters is achieving impactful change in the entire building stock, regardless of typology.