The construction industry faces its own unique challenges when it comes to decarbonising. The nature of its work, and the materials that are at the core of its operations, means it needs to work harder than other industries to keep up with the green transition.

According to Built Environment Declares - a global petition that serves as a public commitment to take positive action in response to climate breakdown and biodiversity collapse - the sector desperately needs a paradigm shift. It states: “If we’re to reduce and eventually reverse the environmental damage we’re causing, we will need to re-imagine our buildings, cities and infrastructures as indivisible components of a larger, constantly regenerating and self-sustaining system”.

Structural engineers at COWI became signatories to the pledge in 2019 and we have since begun exploring new avenues to decarbonise the industry. Our journey began while we were delivering the design for a mega-project in...