What is sustainable construction?

Sustainable construction defies a single, fixed definition. Rather than a one-size-fits-all solution, it offers a framework for informed, responsible decision-making that responds to local context while aligning with global sustainability goals. It is an evolving practice that integrates environmental responsibility, social equity, and economic viability throughout the entire life cycle of the built environment. 

Design and construction professionals today are equipped with a wide range of tools and strategies. The challenge—and opportunity—is to apply these thoughtfully, setting priorities and making trade-offs that reflect the urgency of climate change while advancing long-term community well-being. Sustainable construction is not only about minimising harm—it is about actively contributing to regeneration, resilience, and systemic transformation.

By 2050, the global population is projected to reach nearly 10 billion. By 2060, total building floor area will have doubled—adding the equivalent of New York City every month for 40 years. This scale of expansion places enormous pressure on our ecosystems and exposes the limitations of conventional construction models. 

The built environment is already responsible for 40% of global carbon emissions, consumes nearly half of all extracted resources, and accounts for over 30% of energy use. These realities highlight an urgent need to reduce energy demand, material consumption, and waste generation across the entire construction value chain.

Access to housing, infrastructure, and essential services remains deeply unequal. Climate events, migration, geopolitical instability, and fragile supply chains continue to intensify systemic vulnerabilities. Sustainable construction must respond to this interconnected reality with solutions that are not only smarter—but also fairer and more regenerative.

Explore the Holcim Foundation Awards to discover exemplary approaches to sustainable construction from around the world.

Tackling these challenges requires a shift in mindset—one that embraces sustainability as a holistic practice rooted in systems thinking, social responsibility, and resource stewardship. It means designing not only for energy efficiency, but also for longevity, adaptability, and equity.

Progress over recent decades—including green building standards, improved materials, and lifecycle thinking—has laid essential groundwork. The next frontier lies in decoupling the built environment from wasteful resource consumption, embracing circularity, and restoring ecosystems rather than merely reducing harm.

The built environment must drastically reduce its reliance on both energy and materials. This means addressing not only operational carbon—emissions from building use—but also embodied carbon from material extraction, processing, and transportation. Rethinking how we design, extract, use, and reuse materials can unlock more resilient and regenerative construction practices. Design must become a tool for reshaping resource systems—not merely adapting to them.

At the same time, deep social inequalities embedded in global supply chains are becoming impossible to ignore. Disruptions from conflict, climate shocks, and pandemics have laid bare the fragility of extractive systems. Grassroots movements, youth activists, and civil society are demanding accountability—and change.

Access to housing, energy, and clean water remains precarious for many, especially in the face of intersecting crises. Sustainable construction must place equity at the centre of its solutions, embedding social justice alongside environmental goals.

Where the conventional solutions have failed, it’s time to think differently

The built environment is under mounting pressure—and calls to action are growing louder. Non-profits, governments, academics, and industry bodies have all sounded the alarm. Yet incremental progress has not matched the scale or urgency of the challenge.

We no longer have the luxury of time. What’s needed now is a new kind of leadership—capable of delivering systemic change at unprecedented speed and scale.

Professionals must develop the capacity to evaluate impacts and propose solutions that are deeply rooted in local realities while considering global imperatives. Innovation, systems thinking, creativity, and a sense of social purpose are in high demand.

Technological advancement plays a key role. The Holcim Foundation supports and showcases leading innovations in materials science and construction technologies—through its network of academics, Holcim Awards winners, Next Generation recipients, and practitioners.

Equally important is sensitivity to local climate, geography, and social context. Sustainable buildings must be contextually appropriate, high-performing, and socially valuable—spaces that are not only efficient, but also cherished and enduring.

Restoration and Regeneration

As seen in the most recent cycle of the Holcim Awards, leading-edge solutions are pushing beyond harm reduction toward ecological restoration and regeneration. This shift is critical.

The planet’s health—measured by the IPCC and the Planetary Boundaries framework—is in decline. We are depleting vital systems: air, water, soil. Pollution and emissions continue to rise. In this context, the built environment must evolve from being part of the problem to becoming part of the solution. It must actively support the recovery and renewal of the ecosystems on which we all depend.

The Holcim Foundation proudly supports this transformation and the leaders advancing it.

The Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction is committed to shaping a more sustainable built environment—through advocacy, partnerships, and global knowledge exchange.

Its goals are designed not only to articulate the intent of sustainable and regenerative practices, but to provide practical guidance to professionals across disciplines. These goals reflect decades of thought leadership, emerging design philosophies, and built examples that prove such practices are both possible and impactful.

Bringing this work into the public sphere—through exemplary projects, policy advocacy, and open dialogue—is key to enabling change. By equipping a growing global community of practitioners with tools and inspiration, the Foundation aims to accelerate systemic transformation.

The goals are further reinforced by core principles: solutions must be transformational, transferable, and holistic. These principles challenge entrenched assumptions and open the door to new ways of designing and building—ways that serve people and planet now, and into the future.