Co-Creating Sustainable Cities

The climate crisis and declining biodiversity are two of the greatest challenges facing humankind today. A resource-conscious approach to the development of our cities and buildings is therefore crucial to a sustainable future. Arkitema takes its share of the responsibility by helping our customers to succeed in their crucial adaptation work.

We have extensive experience working with matters of sustainability in our projects, as well as profound and highly specialist knowledge within multiple sustainability areas. The foundation of any successful and sustainable project lies in an holistic approach which binds together complex wholes. We do this by developing sustainability strategies with clear priorities and by leading sustainability initiatives throughout the entire course of the project. We also act as environmental coordinators for several certification projects: DGNB, LEED, BREEAM, Nordic Swan Ecolabel (Svanen), Active House, Miljöbyggnad, Citylab and more. Our sustainability team here at Arkitema works all over Scandinavia and we have a close partnership with our colleagues at COWI.

The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals determine how we steer our operations and prioritise our projects.

We have structured our efforts along four primary tracks:

Reduction of carbon emissions
We work to reduce our climate footprint in all our projects so that our customers can attain local, national and global sustainability goals. One of the ways we do this is by conducting lifecycle analyses at an early stage in order to optimise our volumes and material consumption. Here at Arkitema, we have developed a unique tool for this purpose which allows us to gauge the consequences of our actions on the carbon footprint of our solutions, even when we make alterations along the way. We also have the capability to link this together with a cost estimate. We focus on circular solutions including the reuse of buildings, building components and materials. Energy efficiency, material optimisation and long-lasting solutions are all natural characteristics of the work we carry out.

Good living environment
Our projects must be health-promoting, pleasant and secure for everyone who lives or spends time within them. We ensure this by conducting microclimate analyses on sunrooms and indoor climate analyses on the buildings we plan. We factor health and wellbeing into all our material choices and use daylight simulations to create healthy environments. We also take socio-economic structures into account and strive to promote equality, security and inclusivity through our work. We are always keen to work in harmony with users and other stakeholders and make every effort to retain and refine the cultural heritage and identity of the places where we build. And naturally, we believe it should be easy to get from A to B using environmentally friendly means of transportation.

Ecosystem
Our ambition with every project is to minimise environmental impact and promote biodiversity. We do this by taking preexisting natural values into account, and by seeking to strengthen and include aspects which will help contribute to increased biodiversity. This could be anything from sustainable stormwater solutions, our choice of flora in sunrooms or by ensuring a good microclimate for local nature and wildlife.

We place focus on choosing the materials that will have the lowest possible impact on the climate and on keeping environmental and air pollution to a minimum.EcosystemOur ambition with every project is to minimise environmental impact and promote biodiversity. We do this by taking preexisting natural values into account, and by seeking to strengthen and include aspects which will help contribute to increased biodiversity. This could be anything from sustainable stormwater solutions, our choice of flora in sunrooms or by ensuring a good microclimate for local nature and wildlife.

Wood
Our expertise within the use of wood as a construction material allows us to offer climate-friendly and cost-effective solutions. Wood is a renewable resource that can be used to create health-promoting homes to live in. Wooden buildings are particularly pleasant to live and work in as the material makes for a tactile and warm environment. Thanks to our close partnership with colleagues at COWI, we can offer consultancy services on constructing with wood.