Sustainable building practices: How to create a home with a low carbon footprint

In recent years, sustainability, eco-friendliness, and energy savings have become central to how we live—shaping industries such as transportation, food, textiles, and most notably, construction. Historically, buildings were designed with little consideration for their environmental impact or long-term sustainability. Today, however, there is a much stronger focus on using sustainable materials and designing homes that can adapt to a family’s changing needs over time, reducing waste and promoting longevity.

Ambra Guglietti, an engineer specializing in sustainable construction at VELUX, explains the urgency of this shift:

"We are in the midst of a climate and biodiversity crisis, which is largely a result of human activities. This means that we need to limit our resource consumption in everything we do—including in our homes and the ways we build, use, and maintain them. Efficient homes that do not waste energy, materials, and other resources are absolutely essential if we are to move towards a sustainable lifestyle in harmony with the planet."

Denmark has become a global leader in sustainable architecture, offering innovative solutions that inspire builders worldwide. Projects like Living Places Copenhagen showcase how forward-thinking design and construction can dramatically reduce a building’s climate impact.

In this article, you’ll gain insight into Denmark’s role in driving sustainable building practices, explore the five key principles of sustainable housing design, and learn how these concepts can be applied globally to create a greener future.

Ambra Guglietti explains that Denmark is among the pioneering countries in sustainable construction and green building, with a crucial focus on choosing materials that have as little environmental impact as possible.

"In the construction industry, there is an increased focus on bio-based materials such as wood, hemp, and cork, which typically have less embedded carbon than other building materials," she says. "However, this also raises questions about the availability of these materials. Could they meet the entire construction industry's needs? Circular materials are therefore also an interesting topic of discussion, and many architects are already looking at which materials can be reused and how."

While material selection is critical, sustainable construction also involves rethinking how projects are planned and executed. Ambra Guglietti highlights that limiting the use of new materials and reusing resources already available in a home are some of the most effective ways to reduce environmental impact.

"The most environmentally friendly choice is to limit the use of new materials and instead use the materials that are already in the home. If homeowners can renovate instead of building new, they are already doing something less harmful to the planet. When it comes to choosing materials, the most conscious choice would be bio-based materials, but it is important to consider where these materials come from. One should avoid buying goods that have been transported from the other side of the world."

Denmark's leadership in sustainable architecture showcases how thoughtful material choices and reuse can serve as an inspiration for greener construction practices worldwide.

The single-family home plays a central role in Danish building traditions, with prefabricated, single-story houses becoming increasingly popular over the past few decades. At the same time, Denmark’s building regulations have evolved to prioritize sustainability, focusing on reducing the energy consumption of homes through measures such as effective insulation, optimized ventilation, and energy-efficient windows.

Energy-saving homes have also become more accessible and affordable in Denmark, with several distinct categories emerging as part of the country’s push toward sustainable living:

• Low-energy house: A home designed to use significantly less energy for heating compared to conventional single-family houses.
• Passive house: A highly energy-efficient home with even lower heating requirements. It primarily relies on solar heating and a ventilation system that recovers heat from the home.
• Zero-energy house: A house that generates roughly as much energy as it consumes, making it self-sufficient in terms of energy use.
• Plus-energy house: A home that produces more energy than it consumes, contributing surplus energy to the grid or other uses.

Denmark’s focus on these innovative housing types reflects its commitment to reducing the environmental impact of residential buildings while inspiring sustainable construction practices worldwide.

While reducing energy consumption in homes is a step forward, true sustainability requires a broader perspective. For example, low-energy houses reduce energy use but can have a higher overall climate impact during production compared to conventional homes.

To achieve greater sustainability, the industry must focus on reducing material consumption, choosing eco-friendly materials, and optimizing construction methods.

In the future, single-family homes with private gardens may give way to more resource-efficient housing models. Shared indoor and outdoor spaces could help reduce environmental impact while making housing more accessible for all.

Living Places Copenhagen was created in response to the growing climate crisis, highlighting how the construction industry can play a proactive role in reducing its carbon footprint while building homes that are sustainable and future-ready. The project focuses on creating sustainable and healthy homes using materials and techniques that are already widely available.

The innovative design of the Living Places homes results in a carbon footprint that is three times smaller and an indoor climate that is three times healthier than that of a typical single-family house. Furthermore, these sustainable homes can be constructed at a cost comparable to traditional family homes, proving that eco-friendly building practices are both feasible and accessible.

Living Places Copenhagen is the result of a collaboration between VELUX, EFFEKT Architects, and Artelia Denmark. These three companies share a vision of tackling climate challenges by rethinking how the construction industry operates and fostering creative, cross-sector collaboration.

Ambra Guglietti explains the philosophy behind the project:

"We believe that cross-industry collaboration is the key to minimizing the CO2 footprint. That's why we've teamed up with EFFEKT Architects and Artelia Denmark to rethink the way we build homes today. Throughout the process, we have carefully considered all our choices in terms of design and materials and asked ourselves what implications each of these choices could have for the environment, people's health, and the building's efficiency."

When you think of "sustainable housing construction," it’s easy to focus solely on selecting environmentally friendly building materials. However, truly sustainable construction requires that the architecture itself embodies sustainable principles. Ambra Guglietti highlights the connection between architecture and sustainability:

"The architectural quality of a home is absolutely essential when you want to maximize energy efficiency. The shape, orientation, facade composition, and placement of windows are some of the design components that have a huge impact on the building's usability and energy consumption. The more the building's architecture is optimized to maintain a low energy requirement, the more energy-efficient the house becomes."

The sustainability principles behind the Living Places project can be distilled into five core pillars: health, communal spaces, simple design, flexibility over time, and scalability. These pillars are central to creating homes that are not only environmentally friendly but also adaptable to changing needs and accessible to a broader audience. Below, you’ll find an overview of each principle and its role in sustainable housing.

Ambra Guglietti explains why health plays such an important role in sustainable construction:

"A healthy home means that the house should be healthy for both people and the planet. VELUX has always focused on creating healthy homes and has helped our customers transform their homes with daylight and fresh air. When more daylight enters the room, it can completely change the functionality of the room and your perception of it."

Ambra Guglietti explains the importance of common spaces in sustainable housing:

"In light of the climate crisis we are living in, and the lack of affordable housing that has hit many European cities, we have explored a concept where there are more shared spaces. When we only build private spaces, it has a significant impact on the planet and on people's budgets when they need to rent or buy a new home. Therefore, we asked ourselves if we can share more spaces with our neighbors, and which spaces we are willing to share?"

Most people would probably associate the concept of simple design with minimalist architecture, but Ambra Guglietti explains that the simplicity sought in sustainable architecture extends much further than just the aesthetic expression.

The modern architecture became more and more complex. This led to the operation, maintenance, and repair of the building also becoming more complicated. The complex architecture means that you often end up with an inflexible building that cannot be upgraded over time and according to the users' needs. When we talk about 'simplicity' in connection with sustainable housing, it means that we think about systems and construction in a simple way that makes it possible to maintain, repair, and upgrade the building without having to touch its fundamental structure.

An important aspect of sustainable architecture, which is also demonstrated in the Living Places project, is to create homes that can be adapted to the changing needs of homeowners over many years. For instance, there might be a new baby on the way. The teenager may need more privacy. There might be a need for an elderly family member to move in. It could become necessary to rent out part of the home for a while. Or perhaps a section of the house will eventually be used to run a business.

It plays a crucial role in sustainable architecture that the same dwelling can accommodate the many changing needs over time, so that there is no need for repeated environmentally damaging actions such as demolishing, building extensions, or perhaps even constructing a completely new house.

The last pillar of sustainable housing construction is scalability. Ambra Guglietti explains that it was important for VELUX in the collaboration with EFFEKT Architects and Artelia Denmark to showcase a housing solution that can be scaled up significantly.

Scalability emphasizes the affordability of the concept. Living Places was designed to promote housing solutions for the general public, rather than exclusive options available to only a few.

The Living Places project shows that it is possible to build sustainably using the materials and construction techniques available today. However, it requires a proactive approach at every stage of the construction process, as well as during the ongoing maintenance and renovation of the home. If you’re planning to embark on a green building project, thorough preparation is essential. Ambra Guglietti offers these tips:

“First and foremost, I would recommend reading about and gaining insight into sustainable building methods and existing housing projects that can serve as inspiration. Then I would suggest setting some goals or priorities, so you always focus on what the most important aspects of your project are, and can more easily find compromises when needed. The next step is to choose an experienced team that can guide you through the project. Whether it's an architect, a construction company, an engineer, or a combination of several professions, you need to make sure they understand your attitudes and share your values.”

If you want to learn more about the sustainable building methods used for Living Places, we recommend the book “Living Places - Principles and Insights for a New Way of Thinking Buildings”.

When addressing major challenges like the climate crisis, large-scale political initiatives often take center stage. However, individual homeowners also have significant power to drive change and make a meaningful impact. Ambra Guglietti highlights the importance of individual actions:

"We can all create change towards a sustainable building practice by changing our consumption and, for example, being more conscious and critical about the products we choose on the shelves in the hardware store. The ability to decode and assess what we buy or select for our housing projects - just as we do when we choose food in the supermarket - can not only help to reduce the carbon footprint of our homes, but can also contribute to creating a more sustainable and environmentally aware society."

• Renovating is often more sustainable than building new.
• Sustainable construction doesn’t have to cost more than conventional methods.
• A sustainable home should have a flexible design that adapts to changing needs over time.