The Background of the Recommendations

The Nordic countries have set a joint ambition for creating a sustainable and competitive construction sector by 2030. As a contribution to the Nordic action plan under the Nordic Council of Ministers´ Vision for 2030, the program Nordic Sustainable Construction, has been established as an investment in innovative and green solutions, where the goal for the Nordic region is to be a leader in sustainable and competitive housing and construction with a lower environmental and climate impact.

The project consists of 5 focus areas addressed through the work packages of the project:

WP1 – Life Cycle Assessment – Lead: Ministry of the Environment of Finland

WP2 – Circular Business Models – Lead: Nordic Innovation

WP3 – SUSTAINORDIC – Sustainable Construction Materials and Architecture – Lead: Form/Design Center, Sweden

WP4 – Emission Free Construction Sites – Lead: Ministry of Social Affairs, Iceland

WP5 – Program Secretariat + Competences for Reuse in Construction – Lead: Danish Authority of Social Services and Housing. 

This collection of recommendations is a result of WP3, SUSTAINORDIC.

The purpose of SUSTAINORIC is to involve and facilitate the right actors who hold the power and mandate to catalyse the necessary cultural change within and around the built environment to activate a shift towards a total conversion of the Nordic housing and construction sector towards practises with minimal environmental and climate impacts.

We believe that the barriers to this shift are just as much driven by mental barriers, old habits and unchallenged belief systems as they are upheld by legislative, structural and financial norms.

It is the mission of SUSTAINORDIC to identify and start breaking down those barriers.

The project employed a triple diamond design model, which guided the knowledge collection and analysis phases across its three-year duration. In the first year, the focus was on identifying the necessary changes within the Nordic construction sector and the obstacles hindering these changes. This was achieved through a broad knowledge generation process that included engaging in debates at Nordic democracy festivals, Convention of Parties meetings, and other key events. Additionally, insights were gathered from our advisory board

The SUSATINORDIC advirory board consist of:
Anna Denell, Hållbarhetschef, Vasakronan, Sweden

Susanne Rudenstam, Chief, Sveriges Träbyggnadskansli, Sweden

Mark Hughes, Aalto University, Finland

Pasi Aalto, Professor, Norwegian University of Science and Technology; Norway

Hulda Hallgrimsdottir, Project Manager, Climate, City of Reykjavik, Iceland

Bjarke Fjeldsted, Chief Product Officer, Molio, Denmark

Benedicte Wildhagen, Chief Adviser Public Systems & Service Innovation, DOGA, Norway

and through collaboration with international projects v sharing similar goals.

This initial phase led to the identification of eight key focus areas, which were later distilled into four overarching themes. These themes—hierarchy of material use in construction, place-based architecture, underrepresented interests in construction policy, and regulation and maximum emission requirements—became the central threads running through the project.

The second phase of the design process concentrated on exploring and testing potential solutions to the barriers identified within each focus area. This involved direct engagement with stakeholders in the Nordic construction sector to assess the feasibility and impact of proposed solutions. The final phase was dedicated to a deep dive into these themes, aiming to understand the systemic structures and feedback loops that reinforce the status quo. A significant finding of this process was the prominent role of regulation and dominant market interests as barriers to implementing necessary changes.

The recommendations in this report have been formulated on the basis of a long list of dialogues and with input from urban planners, policymakers, architects, engineers, developers, building owners, and activists, gathered through three years of knowledge generation. All notes and quote and conclusions from 29 events and panel debates arranged by SUSTAINORDIC have fed into the shaping of this document.

These events were arranged in connection with COP26 in Glasgow, New European Bauhaus Festival 2022, The Nordic Democracy festivals 2022 (Folkemødet DK, Almedalsveckan SE, Arendalsuka NO, Soumi Areena FI, Fundur Folksins IS), Arctic Circle 2022, COP27 in Sharm El Sheik and during the UIA23 Congress in Copenhagen in 2023.

Apart from these events and debates, we have asked for input through four roundtable conversations and several interviews.

Furthermore, we have continuously received input, guidance and feedback from the SUSTAINORDIC Transformation Panel

SUSTAINORDIC has established a Transformation Panel to contribute to and ensure quality in deliverables. The Transformation Panel consists of:

Anna Denell, Hållbarhetschef, Vasakronan, Sweden

Susanne Rudenstam, Kanslichef, Sveriges Träbyggnadskansli, Sweden

Mark Hughes, Aalto University, Finland 

Pasi Aalto, Professor, Norwegian University of Science and Technology; Norway

Hulda Hallgrimsdottir , Project Manager, Climate, City of Reykjavik, Iceland

Bjarke Fjeldsted, Chief Product Officer, Molio, Denmark

Benedicte Wildhagen, Chief Adviser Public Systems & Service Innovation, DOGA, Norway

The total list of direct and indirect contributors can be seen here:

Sinus Lynge, Partner, MAA M.Arch from EFFEKT, Denmark

Iines Karkulahti, Architect, Urban designer from VAPAA Collective, Finland

Maya Færch, Senior Programme Manager, Built Environment from Laudes Foundation, The Netherlands

Louise Kjellerup Roper, CEO of Volans, United Kingdom

Daniel Zimmer, Director Sustainable Land Use from Climate-KIC, France

Torben Klitgaard, CEO of BLOXHUB, Denmark

Julia Okatz, Director Natural Resources and Urban solutions, SYSTEMIQ, United Kingdom

Matti Kuittinen, Associate Professor of Aalto University, Finland

Signe Kongebro, Henning Larsen Arkitekter, Denmark

Morten Ryom, FN Ungedelegat, Denmark

Lars Autrup, Direktør, Dansk Arkitektforening, Denmark

Poul-Erik Olsen, CG Jensen, Denmark

Rasmus Nørgaard, Home.Earth, Denmark

Peter Ullstad, Architect and Founder, Codesign, Sweden

Tobias Olsson, VD, Sveriges Arkitekter, Sweden

Robert Vangstad, VD/Founder, Net-Zerohomes, Denmark

Madeleine Nobis, Hålbarhetsstrateg, arkitektbyrån Liljewall, Sweden

Petra Jenning, Arkitekt, Innovationsledare & Ateljéchef FOJAB, Sweden

Magnus Ek, Ledamot i Riksdagen och Ordförande i Nordiska rådets hållbarhetsutskott, Sweden

Paula Lehtomäki, Generalsekreterare, Nordiska ministerrådet, Finland

Harald Vaagaasar Nikolaisen, Administrerende direktør, Statsbygg, Norway

Malin Kock Hansen, Seniorrådgiver, Innovative byer og lokalsamfunn, DOGA, Norway

Guro Hauge, direktør for bærekraft og samfunnspolitikk, Byggenæringens Landsforening, Norway

Linda Monsen Merkestad, Medlem af Stortinget, Energi- og miljøkomiteen, Arbeiderpartiet, Norway

Thor Haakon Bakke, bypolitisk talsperson og byråd i Bergen for klima, miljø og byutvikling, Norway

Tuuli Kaskinen, CEO, Climate Leadership Coalition CLC, Finland

Maria Karjalainen, Chairman, Föreningarna Nordens Ungdomsförbund (FNUF), Finland

Kirsten Dunlop, CEO, Climate-KIC, The Netherlands

Anna Denell, Hållbarhetschef, Vasakronan, Sweden

Susanne Rudenstam, Kanslichef, Sveriges Träbyggnadskansli, Sweden

Mark Hughes, Aalto University, Finland

Pasi Aalto, Professor, Norwegian University of Science and Technology; Norway

Hulda Hallgrimsdottir, Project Manager, Climate, City of Reykjavik, Iceland

Bjarke Fjeldsted, Chief Product Officer, Molio, Denmark

Benedicte Wildhagen, Chief Adviser Public Systems & Service Innovation, DOGA, Norway

Elise Sydendal, Climate activist in the Green Youth Movement and member of the Danish Youth Climate Council, Denmark

Mme Audrey Azuley, Director-General, UNESCO, France

Jan Christian Vestre, Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry, Norway

Lilja Alfreðsdóttir, Icelandic Minister of Culture and Business Affairs, Iceland

Karin Svanborg-Sjövall, Deputy Minister to the Swedish Minister for Culture, Sweden

Asko Takala, Chair, Finish Association of Architects SAFA, Finland

Ida Heimann Larsen, Chief of Staff, Nordic Council of Ministers, Denmark

Katarina Siltavuori, Director, Archinfo, Finland

Halla Helgadóttir, Managing Director, Icelandic Design and Architecture, Iceland

Jessica Segerlund, Head of ArkDes Think Tank, Sweden

Kika Krista Kjærside, Program Manager, Danish Architecture Center, Denmark

Monica Maria Moeskær, Program Director, Danish Design Center, Denmark

Martin Ehn Hillberg, landscape architect, managing director, White Architects, Sweden

Tor Inge Hjemdal, architect, managing director DOGA, Design and Architecture Norway

Nadia Gullestrup, Youth Climate Council, Denmark

Jenny Grettve, Architect, Systems Change Innovator, Strategic Designer, Lecturer & Writer, Sweden

Kai Reaver, Head of Architecture, Norske arkitekters landsforbund, Norway

Silvie Le Muzic, Architect, Systems coach & practitioner, researcher, entrepreneur, Norway

Kasper Benjamin Reimer Bjørkskov, Head of Innovation, EFFEKT, Denmark

Siv Helene Stangeland, PhD, Helen & Hard Architects, Norway

Erlend Seilskjær, FutureBuilt Innovation Program, Norway

Finn Williams, City architect in Malmö, Sweden

Anne Mette Boye, City Architect Aarhus, Denmark

Rob Adams, City Architect Melbourne, Australia

Helena Bjarnegård, National Architect, Boverket, the Swedish National Board of Housing, Sweden

Ruth Schagemann, President of Architects´ Council of Europe, Belgium

Helle Redder Momsen, Nordic, Sustainable Construction, Danish Authority of Social Services and Housing, Denmark

Tove Sjöberg, Arkitekt, ACAN, Sweden

Ulla Janson, Professor, LU- Cirkular Construction, Sweden

Steffen Nielsen, founder and owner, Lolle og Nielsen, Denmark

Otto Wille, Senior Strategist, Demos Helsinki, Finland

Marwa Dabaieh, Arkitektprofessor, Malmö Universitet, Sweden

Malin Zimm, Kungliga konsthögskolan Sthlm + KTH, Sweden

Mads Peter Laursen, Institut for X, Århus, Denmark

Søren Nielsen, Arkitekt, Vandkundsten, Denmark

Arne Høi, Arkitektprofessor, Copenhagen, Denmark

Oda Solberg, Arkitekt, Norway

Arja Renell, Arkitekt and professor, Finland

Aleksi Lohtaja, Architect, Archinfo, Finland

Borghildur Sölvey Sturludottir, stadsarkitekt Reykjavik, Iceland

Ove Kenneth Nodland, Senior Manager, Sustainable procurement, Inventura Advokat, Norway

Thomas Gerner, Director, Tækkefirmaet Horneby Aps, Denmark

Ellen T. O’ Gara, Architect, Platant, Denmark

Thomas Tulinius, Architect Tulinius Lind, Denmark

Julius Nielsen, Julius Nielsen OFFICE, Denmark

Frederik Koefoed, Architect VERNA, Denmark

Louise Bjerregaard, Arkitekt Louise Bjerregaard, Denmark

Peter Kjær, Architect, Peter Kjær Arkitekter, Denmark

Kim Lenschow, Architect, Office Kim Lenschow, Norway

Karina Søgaard, Architect, KSARK, Denmark

Birte Lauridsen, Architect, Alex Poulsen Arkitekter, Denmark

Magnus Emanuel, Building Constructor, CPH Village, Denmark

Thomas Graabæk, Graphisoft, Denmark

Marta Bohlmark, Gaia arkitektur, Sweden

Ulrika Stenkula, Gaia arkitektur, Sweden

Anders Larsson, SLU Alnarp, Sweden

Kristiina Lång, Research Professor, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Finland

Kristina Einarsson, Project manager, Expert Environment and Climate, M.Sc., Boverket, Sweden

Thomas Hahn, Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Sweden

Katrina Wiberg, Landscape architect, Associate Professor, Aarhus School of Architecture, Denmark

Harpa Birgisdottir, Professor, BUILD, Aalborg University, Iceland

Nel Schipull, Architect MAA, DGNB-Auditor, Ph.D., partner at Vandkunsten Architects, Denmark

Dani Hill-Hansen, Sustainable Design Engineer and Architect, EFFEKT, project manager, Reduction Roadmap initiative, Denmark

Signe Wenneberg, climate activist, speaker, author and journalist, Denmark

Louise Heebøll, architect MAA, founder and owner of Louise Heebøll ApS, Del Hus and V!GØR, Denmark

Frida Roper, Student, Circular Engineering, Maastricht University, Netherlands

Johan Jönsson, material expert, Lera i Norden, Sweden

Per Kristian Hansson, Lerkultur, Sweden

 

Anders Vestergaard Jensen, Nordic Council of Ministers, Denmark

Marthe Haugland, Senior Innovation Adviser, Nordic Innovation, Norway

Jóannes N. Dalsgaard, Director, Ministry of Education, Research and Culture, Faroe Islands

Mati Frederiksen, Head of Building Authorities, Government of Greenland, Greenland

Ingunn Marton, Senior Engineer, Direktoratet for byggkvalitet, Norway

Ólavur Jóannesarson Hansen, Løgfrøðingur / Legal advisor at Landsverk in public procurement and contracts, Faroe Islands

Ástrós Steingrímsdóttir, Project Manager, Green Building Council, Iceland

Björn Karlsson, Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Iceland and part-time employment at the Ministry