For a more sustainable future

UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals is a meaningful framework for working with a holistic approach to sustainability in the building sector – which is exactly what we do at AART.

For each project we design, we aim to create positive impact. Through our projects, it is in our sphere of influence to affect several of the SDGs in a positive direction, and a lot of our projects has left a documented positive impact – socially, environmentally, and economically. Nevertheless, as actors in the building industry and designers of our physical surroundings, we are able to leave a significant impact on four of the 17 goals.

The new neurorehabilitation building in Glostrup near Copenhagen makes up part of a strong, functional whole with the existing Glostrup Hospital. The new building creates coherent patient treatment processes of a high organisational and specialist quality, thereby distinguishing itself decidedly as a place of rehabilitation that combines the latest knowledge in the field of healing architecture with a highly specialized physical environment.

Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

The build environment is a powerful catalyst to promote health and well-being on many levels – physically and mentally. We design hospitals, senior housing communities, schools, and day care institutions as well as urban landscapes, workplaces, leisure facilities and residential buildings. Through the build environment, we are able to influence and promote well-being, healing and restitution, social communities, a healthy indoor environment, physical activity, immersion and safety – and much more; all important factors to reach goal number 3.

The Children and Youth Hospice, Strandbakkehuset, is designed to support the physical and mental health and well-being of the users. Through a design focusing on materials, light, a close connection to the surrounding nature and homeliness, the building seeks to impact the quality of life of the patients and their families in a positive direction – even in a vulnerable life situation.

According to The United Nations, 70 % of the world’s population will live in urban areas in 2050. As designers of these urban areas, it is crucial that we design our buildings and areas to meet future needs and challenges. We plan and design urban areas and buildings all over Scandinavia, and for more than 20 years our cross-disciplinary team has worked to implement solutions for a more sustainable future in our cities.

Among other things, we design innovative housing projects, educational institutions, workplaces, cultural institutions as well outdoor urban areas to leave a positive impact for both users of each building and the surrounding city, and our focus is always to design for longevity and to implement solutions focusing on i.e., climate, energy efficiency, biodiversity, circular economy and social sustainability in our projects. In our opinion a holistic approach to the design of our cities is the most effective and future-proof way of reaching goal number 11.

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

Goal 12 is about ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns, which is key to sustain the livelihoods of current and future generations. The building industry is responsible for almost 40 % of the world’s CO2-emissions and the use of a severe number of resources. This leaves us with a huge responsibility to create a more sustainable way of operating in the future, which is crucial to reach goal number 12.

This task requires new materials and technologies, new ways of building and not least an increased focus on circular economy and reuse of existing resources. In the building industry, one of the key tasks is to transform and reuse more. We advise clients all over Scandinavia on the use of responsibly produced materials in our projects, and how to optimise and reuse existing square-metres instead of building new. Furthermore, where is it possible and meaningful, we strive to reuse building materials in our projects or to construct in a way, where we make it possible to reuse the materials in other contexts in the future.

The Sustainable Development Goals can only be realized with a strong commitment to global partnership and cooperation. The 2030 agenda is universal - it calls for action by countries and organizations world-wide and requires partnerships between governments, the private sector and civil society.

Knowledge sharing and cross-disciplinary cooperation are key to create a more sustainable future – in the building industry and in the global community in general. As actors in the building industry, we contribute to cross-sectoral partnerships and development projects that aims at bringing our industry in to a more sustainable future. We share knowledge and new results and contribute to the public debate about the development of our industry and how it should look in the future.