Norwegian architect Snøhetta has pledged to only design carbon-negative buildings, meaning their projects will generate more energy than they consume over their lifetime.
The firm plans to make the shift over the next 20 years. Snøhetta co-founder Kjetil Thorsen said the firm was making the move because the need to respond to climate change "feels so bloody urgent".
"For the next 10 years Snøhetta will focus on turning our project portfolio carbon neutral in terms of all projects in the design stage," the firm told Dezeen. "Within the next 20 years [we will] ensure that our built projects are carbon neutral"
The move will mean that all their buildings generate enough energy to compensate for carbon emitted during the production of building materials, construction, operation and decommissioning at the end of the building's life. Snøhetta co-founder Kjetil Thorsen wants all his studio's projects to be carbon-negative
"For the next 10 years, we have the ambition of having projects on the table that will become CO2 negative in the cradle-to-cradle definition," said Thorsen. "This means we have to understand the embodied energies and all the materials used."
The announcement follows the completion of the Oslo-based architect's Powerhouse Brattørkaia building, which is designed to be carbon negative over its 60-year lifespan.
It comes as architects wake up to the huge environmental impact of buildings and explore ways they ca...