Partner for sustainable change
Impact defines our sense of purpose.
From prototyping to large-scale projects. From building mass to the cityscape. The significance of elements often lies in their ability to affect and shape the whole; their capacity to manifest change on a larger scale.
Our built environment is filled with such relations. Whether the environmental impact of material choices, the social implications of accessibility, or the interdependence of spaces, ecosystems, cultures... the list goes on. Scratch the surface and they are always there.
At times measurable and at others intangible – impact and accountability for it define our sense of purpose. They motivate us and intrigue us. They keep us humble. They keep us curious.
Working across four themes, we strive to create lasting change by designing futures in which both people and nature can flourish.
Decarbonize for net zero
Rethinking our carbon footprint
With a staggering 40% of global emissions currently associated with the construction industry, reducing our carbon footprint has never been more important.
Biodiversity and ecosystems
Aligning with natural cycles
Placing nature within the very fabric of our built environments, we design for and with nature to create lasting environmental and social impact.
Resources and circularity
Accountability for resources
Rethinking business-as-usual, means moving away from linear economic models and altering our approach to materials, the very building blocks of our practice.
Resilient societies and livability
Thriving communities today and tomorrow
Designing in response to environmental and social challenges, we look broadly at our built environments as significant sites of potential and change.
As a creative community, we’re embracing the responsibility of innovating and challenging status quos to create lasting impact.
Decarbonize for net zero
A low-carbon and biogenic future at Feldballe School
In the small rural town of Rønde, located in the heart of Denmark, lies a school that is redefining the standards for sustainable construction. Though small in scale, this 250 m² (2,700 ft²) school extension is radiating with the potential that arises when accountability is embraced as a catalyst for design and an uncompromising material strategy is adopted.
The primary element within our design is a pioneering panel system of compressed straw in wooden cassettes. With the surface of these panels covered in clay, the structure’s roof made solely of timber, and a ventilation system filter made of seagrass, the school extension is built almost entirely of bio-based materials.
Feldballe School stands as our project with the lowest carbon footprint to date, and a significant learning on our journey towards decarbonization.
Biodiversity and ecosystems
Inviting wildlife back into Bishan Ang Mo Kio Park
Located in the heartlands of Singapore, Bishan Park is today one of the country’s most popular parks. Anchoring a much-needed upgrade to the park was the transformation of the Kallang channel, a 2.7 km straight concrete drainage which ran along its edge, into a 3.2 km-long naturalized river that meanders through the park. Rather than approaching the park and the channel as two separate entities, the team considered the space as a whole.
In addition to the natural landscapes created by the river, the park has attracted crowds of visitors, human and animal alike: fauna and flora have naturally flocked to the ecologically restored river. Based on a 2017-2019 study from the National University of Singapore on two mature plots in the park, the introduction of the naturalized river has seen the park’s biodiversity increase by a striking 33%. The park now welcomes 66 species of wildflower, 59 different bird species, 22 species of dragonfly, and even hosted the first return sighting of the infamous Bishan otters in 2014 - a species that was once thought to be extinct in Singapore!
Loss of biodiversity, extreme weather, material shortage, and social justice are not challenges that we can solve overnight, but we simply cannot afford to not do anything about them.
Resource management and circular economy
Rethinking our resources through material reuse
1 m2 of new bricks embodies the same amount of carbon as 60 m2 of reused bricks. A simple yet impactful solution, old bricks now have new life in many of our projects. In Denmark alone, we’ve completed five large-scale residential projects and an elementary school built with recycled brick façades. Combined, these projects represents a total saving of 1.15 million kg of CO2.
With an environmental footprint that cannot be undermined, a second and third life for building materials means rethinking our relationship to existing resources. Whether designing for disassembly or sourcing reused materials, the result is a departure from existing linear economic models.
Resilient societies and livability
People, place, and nature in a vision for Downsview
Taking form through rigorous local stakeholder engagement and public approvals processes, Toronto’s Downsview, a 520-acre former airfield, is re-imagined as a green-minded, human-scale, and people-first community.
Set within the context of a changing climate, growing inequality, and an increased understanding of the effect of our built environment on public health and quality of life, the project’s scale and significance cannot be questioned.
Downsview will set a new precedent for urban development that blends the built and natural worlds, integrating green infrastructure, biodiverse habitats, gathering spaces, and play into the public realm.
Philosophy
The way we see it, design is about seeing tomorrow as a space of opportunity and impact.
At the core of our design philosophy is a consistent strive for new knowledge and a determined commitment to context, culture, and people.
Partner for sustainable change
To be a partner for sustainable change, we believe that thinking, working, and innovating across disciplines has never been more essential.
Henning Larsen is a part of the Ramboll Group, owned by the Ramboll Foundation. The shared vision is to create sustainable cities and buildings that answer global challenges.
Go to ramboll.com