Want to follow the debate on sustainable construction materials?
SUSTAINORDIC – Sustainable Construction Materials and Architecture – functions as a change agent that aims to challenge the existing Nordic construction and architectural industry. We also aim to identify barriers and opportunities for concrete implementation and debate the next practices for a sustainable approach to material use and for sustainable alternatives to traditional construction materials.
Through interdisciplinary collaboration and a broad knowledge platform, the goal of this work package is to strengthen and increase Nordic bio-based and circular construction by focusing on barriers that prevent us from transitioning to sustainable and circular practices in architecture and construction.
The work package also aims to identify opportunities for catalysing the necessary change towards optimal use of the existing building mass by introducing minimal virgin material. Lastly, the work package also looks into structural barriers that complicate the use of sustainable and bio-based alternatives to current construction materials.
Integration of sustainable building materials in the Nordic region
In this work package, we are mapping out best practices and identifying levers and barriers for adopting circular and bio-based construction processes and materials in architecture. This way, we will enable further integration of sustainable building materials and innovation in the Nordic region.
Progress
Nordic democracy festivals and events
The SUSTAINORDIC project has hosted knowledge gathering and stakeholder/citizen outreach events at the Nordic Democracy Festivals throughout 2022. The purpose was to identify the barriers and levers in the Nordic region that can spark cultural change and drive the necessary shift towards sustainable and circular construction, which will form the carbon-neutral welfare society of the future.
Through eight events, SUSTAINORDIC has engaged some 220 citizens and stakeholders including architects, urban designers, decision makers, influencers, and game changers to discuss perspectives and share experience on the subject.
The outcome of these interactions was four focus areas for SUSTAINORDIC’s work going forward:
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The material loop
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Place-based design and architecture
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The underrepresented voices in architecture
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Onboarding legislation for a generative future
All the generated knowledge from participation in democracy festivals as well as in the transformation panel will feed into The Nordic Vision 2030.
Transformation panel
SUSTAINORDIC has established a Transformation panel that represents the industry, academia and civil servants in order to test and anchor the findings of the work package.
The purpose of the Transformation Panel is furthermore to ensure market insights and access to state of the art research in SUSTAINORDIC’s work and to ensure that SUSTAINORDIC’s work obtains the highest possible influence.
Upcoming activities
- Network events for actors within the field of sustainable construction materials and architecture
- Facilitating the Nordic representation at UIA World Congress of Architects, Copenhagen 2023
- Dissemination of identified results regarding Nordic sustainable construction materials and architecture