Archello Awards 2026 · Enter your projects before 30 September 2026
Archello Awards 2026 · Enter your projects before 30 September 2026

Low-carbon building materials

An overview of projects, products and exclusive articles about low-carbon building materials

Project • By Herzog & de Meuron • Offices

543 HORTUS

543 HORTUS is the latest sustainable building at Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area in Allschwil, Switzerland. This life sciences campus brings together research, start-ups, and established companies in a growing hub of low-carbon architecture. Designed by Swiss architectural studio Herzog & de Meuron for the real estate developer SENN, 543 HORTUS was conceived as a model of circular and energy-positive design. The brief called for minimising grey energy in construction, maximising efficiency in operation, and generating a surplus of renewable power. Over its lifetime, the 14,100-square-metre building will offset its embodied energy within 31 years, while accommodating around 600 workplaces. 543 HORTUS represents a new standard for... More

News • News • 24 Apr 2024

Mole Architects and Invisible Studio complete sustainable, utilitarian building for Forest School Camps

Mole Architects and Invisible Studio have completed “The Big Roof”, a new low-carbon and low-energy storage and training facility for Forest School Camps, a charitable organization that runs educational camps for children. Located in the Cambridgeshire Fens, a marshland region in eastern England, the new building is assisting Forest School Camps with its operational requirements and storage needs. David Butler David Butler Mole Architects and Invisible Studio The Big Roof is a 745-square-meter (8,019-square-feet) single-story building that replaces three previous structures in various states of disrepair. Mole Architects and Invisible Studio designed a multipurpose facility that incorporates storage,... More

News • News • 7 Dec 2022

Renovated Hines Seattle Headquarters sets a new paradigm for low-carbon and circular design

Recently completed by LMN Architects, the renovated Hines Seattle Headquarters sets a new paradigm for low carbon and circular design through meticulous carbon accounting and an inventive approach to the reuse of materials. Located on the 8th floor of Seattle’s historic Norton Building, the completed project achieved an estimated 65% carbon reduction compared to a typical remodel of an empty shell. 43% of this reduction comes from the salvage or reuse of existing materials—the remainder of the savings comes from the specification of low-carbon options. Benjamin Benschneider Collaborating with a broader team of local fabricators, vendors, contractors, and clients, the architects carefully searched for repurposed materia... More