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Business opportunity 23.01.2023

Low Carbon Built Environment rising opportunities in Europe

Digital design and construction processes construction BIM Low carbon building materials
Senior Advisor

Kari Laine

+358 50 444 9151
kari.laine@businessfinland.fi
World Green Building Council states that buildings are currently responsible for app. 40% of global energy related carbon emissions: some 28% is from operational emissions – from energy needed to heat, cool and power them and the remaining part from materials and construction process. Following the EU strategy of climate neutrality by 2050, European countries are implementing solutions to reduce buildings carbon footprint. This creates opportunities for companies that can contribute to decreasing harmful impact of buildings on environment.

 

Sweden:

The overall outlook for the market is positive, especially when it comes to low carbon building solutions and innovation. Since January 2022, it has been a requirement for all new buildings to have a climate declaration. This declaration includes reporting on the climate impact of all materials used in the building, as well as the climate impact of the building process. The new legislation, in combination with the strong development of green bonds in the real-estate sector, increased demand for environmental certificates, customer demands as well as national environmental targets creates a strong need for low-carbon building solutions in the Swedish market.

Swedish companies are looking for solutions for the decarbonization of buildings from the design phase to the production and operation of buildings. The areas of interest include sustainable building materials, digital building lifecycle management, digital tools for energy metering and building control, HVAC systems.

Poland:

The demand for low-carbon solutions grows steadily. Real estate developers and architects are the most open group of stakeholders for innovative, low-carbon solutions. Polish older buildings require renovation works – 7.5 million thermo-modernisations should be completed by 2050. The demand of Polish companies includes heating and ventilation optimisation, BIM, smart home solutions, RES, prefabrication, innovative building materials, LCA software and wood-based construction.

Germany: 

Germany is aiming to a climate-neutral building stock by 2050. Large infrastructural refurbishing of old building stock is awaited in the coming years. The most relevant business opportunities for Finnish companies stem from these projects. Commercial and Residential segments are top priority segments especially in the renovation market. Public sector has high requirements for sustainability for new buildings and infrastructure projects. Energy Management, sustainable building materials and BIM are already being implemented on a high scale in the short term due to drivers such as regulations and energy savings. Prefabrication, wooden construction, green roofs and energy efficiency are trending.

UK: 

The UK construction market represents 7% of the total UK economy. The market is conservative, fragmented and cost-conscious. However, the ambitious net zero target of the country drives the construction sector, too. There are pockets of excellence and room for innovation in the market, with a number of companies leading on zero carbon.

Scotland, London and Manchester are examples of leading regions. The repair and maintenance sector is very important. Existing housing stock needs retrofitting to reach the zero carbon targets, also within public building projects (e.g. hospitals). Key trends in the UK construction sector include digitalisation, pre-fabrication, timber and 3D printing. Opportunities are particularly in digitalisation, BIM, BMS, timber, efficient heat, and pre-fabrication.

Target Sectors

  • Energy efficient solutions and the optimization of energy use
  • Low carbon building materials
  • Digital and optimized design and building processes
  • Data and tools for built environment maintenance, usage, lifecycle management and smooth everyday
     

TF Activities Available for Finnish Companies

Within the Campaign Low Carbon Building run by Business Finland, we plan joint activities for the Finnish companies this year – target is to promote Finnish solutions and know-how to potential clients and important stakeholders.

Business Finland offices in Stockholm, Warsaw, Berlin and London provide advice to companies interested in the respective markets. Please see the list of dedicated actions below:

  • Poland: Trade Mission to Poland February 1–2 
  • Sweden: Networking event March 14th, Trade fair Fastighetsmässan March 15–16
  • Germany: Trade mission to the BAU fair in Munich April 17–19, Networking event in the Finnish Embassy in Berlin, Q3 2023
  • UK: Trade Mission to London on March 6–8 
  • Other major European countries have activities in planning as well – stay tuned for more details.

Interested in this opportunity?

For more information, please contact: Head of the Low Carbon Building Campaign: Kari Laine, kari.laine@businessfinland.fi

  • PL: Agnieszka Wróbel, agnieszka.wrobel@businessfinland.fi
  • SWE: Anna Öberg, anna.oberg@businessfinland.fi
  • GER: Helmi-Nelli Körkkö, helmi-nelli.korkko@businessfinland.fi
  • UK: Janna Mure, janna.mure@businessfinland.fi