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Building homes - from 4 to 1 planet

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Partners

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 buildings

The 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:
Do you want to join?

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'.