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Architecture

The construction industry’s share of global climate emissions is 37%, which is more than any other industry. The sustainability transition is changing the role of architects from designing structures to reimagining society as a whole. Every plan can be viewed as a vision and proposal for the future.

Suomi/Koivisto, Alusta-pavillion, 2022, Helsinki

Building design and construction are seamlessly interconnected, and design must be considered part of the construction industry. Legislation on construction also influences design, as do assessment of the built environment, material development and choice, and construction methods and techniques. Architecture and the design and construction of the built environment play a crucial role in achieving environmental sustainability both in Finland and globally. Designers of the built environment have a significant role in shaping societal resilience to environmental changes caused by the climate crisis.

In Finland, the architecture sector includes about 320 architectural firms and numerous sole proprietorships offering architectural services. Traditionally, the companies have been small, with only about twenty firms employing more than 50 people. However, there is a trend towards small firms merging into larger, multidisciplinary design offices. The market value of the architecture sector in the early 2020s was 250–300 million euros, but economic downturns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have significantly impacted the industry. The traditionally full-employment sector has recently suffered from unemployment and not many new offices have been created.

Architecture has traditionally been understood as the concrete design of buildings and environments, where the environment is considered part of the building’s placement. With the ongoing sustainability transition, the role of architects is shifting from designing unrealised structures to reimagining entire societies. In this new operating environment, every design can be viewed as a vision and proposal for the future, challenging prevailing views and practices. In addition to architects designing new structures, future roles may include maintenance architects, design psychologists, or building surgeons.

Activism has also emerged in the field of architecture in response to the perceived unsustainable current situation. With the rise of activism, there are architectural collectives promoting the sustainability transition, such as Uusi kaupunki, Vapaa Collective, and You Tell Me.

At the core of the sustainability transition in building design and construction are currently reducing the carbon footprint of buildings, strengthening circular economy expertise, and extending the lifespan of buildings. Particularly in research, a nature-centric or ecocentric perspective is emerging strongly alongside human-centric design. This perspective aims to consider non-human species in the design of the built environment and to create environments that support biodiversity and the living conditions of various species in addition to humans.

Sustainability Transition in Architecture

The built environment is connected to most of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which came into effect in 2016. Building design and construction have long utilised voluntary environmental sustainability standards, such as LEED and BREEAM.

In Finland, the ecological sustainability of architecture is regulated and guided at both national and EU levels. The New European Bauhaus programme (NEB), which promotes the green transition of the built environment, is one of the key projects of Europe’s green transition. The vision launched by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in September 2020 integrates architecture, design, and culture into Europe’s climate goals.

The Bauhaus programme provides information, partnerships, and funding for green transition actors and projects. The NEB, part of the Horizon Europe funding programme, offers funding from 2025 to 2027 for developing innovative solutions for sustainable construction and strengthening local democratic structures (NEB Facility programme). The NEB Boost for Small Municipalities programme provides funding for small municipalities for building and renovating structures, recycling building materials, and developing carbon neutrality. The NEB Prizes offer small actors opportunities to develop green transition projects. In Finland, Bauhaus programme partners include the Building Information Foundation, AaltoSiilo, Aalto University, the Cumulus network, and Metropolia University of Applied Sciences.

Measures for ecological sustainability in Finland are guided by the new Building Act, which came into force at the beginning of 2025, and the Towards Sustainable Architecture – Finland’s Architectural Policy Programme 2022–2035 (Apoli), published in 2022. Apoli serves as national guidelines for building a sustainable built environment and supports local architectural programmes or architectural policy programmes that create local practices and procedures. In Finland, there are already 27 local Apoli programmes in various municipalities or regions. Industry organisations in architecture and construction also promote the environmental sustainability transition with various projects and guides.

Finland’s Architectural Policy Programme 2022–2035 approaches the future built environment from the perspectives of ecological, social, cultural, and economic sustainability, as well as education and research. The programme places particular emphasis on environmental sustainability and sets a vision for 2035 in terms of promoting ecological sustainability in building design, climate- and biodiversity-aware land use, circular economy and low carbon perspectives, and a more diverse use of spaces and buildings. Apoli includes a wide range of measures from building design to zoning. The programme’s environmental sustainability measures focus on promoting ecological sustainability in building design, supporting climate- and biodiversity-conscious land use, integrating low carbon and circular economy into local environment planning, and enhancing the flexible and versatile use of spaces, buildings, and areas.

Apoli also introduces a new concept of architectural sustainability, proposing a four-step approach to resource-efficient construction: firstly, utilise empty and suitable spaces for daily use; secondly, renovate existing buildings; thirdly, expand old buildings. New construction is considered only as a last resort. This internalisation of longevity and Life Cycle Thinking is a challenge in Finland, where the culture of new construction is strong.

Apoli’s environmental sustainability measures and the new Building Act, which came into force at the beginning of 2025, support each other. The new Building Act focuses on sustainable construction, bringing significant changes to construction industry practices. The law reform aims to mitigate and adapt to climate change, promote the circular economy, and enable national digitalisation of construction decisions and information content.

Among other things, the Building Act emphasises longevity by highlighting the life-cycle characteristics of buildings, such as adaptability, demountability and reusability, and low-carbon buildings. According to the new law, new buildings must be designed and constructed to be low carbon, their carbon footprint and handprint must be assessed, and from 2026 onwards, calculated. The Finnish Environment Institute Syke maintains the national CO2data-päästötietokanta (CO2data emissions database), including emissions from the manufacture of building products, operational energy emissions, and vegetation. According to the Building Act, buildings must also be designed and constructed to be ecological and long-lasting.