We join forces with Arktura to decarbonize the built environment

The built environment is one of the biggest greenhouse gas emitters. To reach climate goals, we will have to radically change how we build things. That’s why we teamed up with architectural manufacturer Arktura to challenge the industry to think positively about going carbon negative.

Once again, these past few weeks have delivered extreme climate events around the world at an unprecedented scale. Forest fires scarring the US, Europe hit by record-setting heatwaves, and droughts ruining crops meaning further food shortages. Decarbonizing transport and energy production will not be enough to reverse climate change.

The built environment has a vast carbon problem

The built environment will also have to change to reach climate goals. According to the World Green Building Council, “buildings are currently responsible for 39% of global energy related carbon emissions.” 11% of the world’s entire energy-related carbon emissions come from materials and construction alone. The worst offenders? Concrete and steel share the top spots.

This is an especially pressing problem if we consider that by “2060, the global building floor area is expected to double.” This is akin to adding a New York City every month for the next four decades. Although it’s important, making buildings more energy-efficient isn’t a silver bullet to reversing climate change. Reducing construction emissions will be vital to reaching our goals, especially considering that embodied carbon accounts for 10-20% of EU buildings’ CO2 footprint today, but already reaching rates of 50% in countries with low-carbon energy.

Although plenty of research is taking place to find net-zero solutions for the built environment, such as lowering GHG emissions related to concrete (and cement) manufacturing, solutions might not come soon enough. We need new technologies that can be deployed now and at scale. In addition, partnerships that help accelerate these technologies towards scale and buy-in from developers, owners, and architects towards a built environment with embodied carbon as mandatory criteria are critical to this change.

Our carbon-negative materials can help us reach net-zero

At Made of Air, we’re working on just that: we utilize the incredible work of trees, the original carbon capture technology, and transform their low-value biomass waste into durable carbon-negative composites. This carbon-negative material can be used in built environment applications to replace traditionally high emitters such as fossil-based plastics, aluminum or non-structural concrete. When that happens, we not only have the benefit of using products with negative carbon balances, but we are also avoiding the emissions of traditional high emitting materials.

We have already proven this change is possible by having put façade panels made out of our material for an Audi car dealership in Trudering, Bavaria. The Made of Air material used to produce HexAudi panels have sequestered over 10 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere. This positive impact was achieved in partnership with progressive local regulations around environmental sustainability and Audi’s high-end design and performance requirements.

Now is the time to scale up with Arktura

Past the point of proof-of-concept, it’s now time to achieve scale for tangible impact on climate change. The Dutch company is a leading manufacturer of high-end design-focused architectural wall, ceiling, and façade panels. Adding to their climate-friendly solutions, partnership with Made of Air will yield design-focused panels that also benefit the environment.

Arktura is bringing its vast expertise in designing and delivering sustainable built-environment materials. No wonder our CEO Allison Dring has said, “this partnership is a big milestone for us and for the climate. It demonstrates how the critical systemic changes needed in the built environment are possible and that the key is close collaboration between architectural leaders and the creators of cutting-edge materials.”

Jason Gillette, CEO and owner of Arktura EMEA, was no less enthusiastic. He believes in Thinking Negative: “by using Arktura’s subtractive manufacturing processes with carbon negative Made of Air material, Arktura will challenge the built environment to think positively about going carbon negative.”

And that is what we (and many others) will set out to do: going carbon-negative in the built environment as for reaching our climate goals requires revolutionizing this industry.