Research: Scaling Climate-Positive Solutions

The Climate Positive Buildings and Neighbourhoods Lab focuses on the urgent transition to a carbon‑neutral built environment. Our research spans the entire lifecycle of buildings, from low‑carbon material innovation to the design, operation, and integration of energy‑positive neighbourhoods. By bridging the gap between ambitious climate targets and practical implementation, we contribute to shaping the standards and solutions of tomorrow.
Our research is inherently collaborative, and we work closely with public and private partners, industry, municipalities, and research institutions at national and international levels. These partnerships ensure that our scientific insights translate into real‑world impact and accelerate the shift toward climate‑positive built environments.

A substantial part of our research is conducted in real projects and living labs, where we explore, develop, and implement solutions in authentic contexts. Building on extensive experience from initiatives such as ZEB, ZEN, Synikia, and ARV, we collaborate with municipalities, technology providers, developers, and building owners to test climate‑positive strategies in practice. These living environments allow us to study technical, social, and environmental performance simultaneously, ensuring that our research and innovations are robust, scalable, and ready for implementation in future buildings and neighbourhoods.

PhD candidates and MSc students are deeply integrated in these research activities, contributing to scientific development while gaining hands‑on experience with real projects, cutting‑edge methodologies, and cross‑disciplinary collaboration. This strong connection between education and research helps cultivate the next generation of professionals who will lead the transition toward climate‑positive built environments.

National Research Projects and Centres

We are proud to host and lead major national initiatives that has contributed to state-of-the-art research and building standards:

• The Research Centre on Zero Emission Buildings (ZEB): Our foundational work in establishing definitions and solutions for net zero emission construction. 8 pilot projects were realised during the centre period to demonstrate the solutions in real buildings  [Link to internal zeb-page]
• The Research Centre on Zero Emission Neighbourhoods (ZEN): Expanding our scope to the neighbourhood and district level, working with 9 pilot areas across Norway to create sustainable, integrated urban systems. [Link to internal zen page]
• Add some other projects here?

International Research & Global Collaboration

Our lab collaborates widely in the global research community, leading and contributing to high-impact projects both across and beyond Europe. We work with international partners to adapt zero emission and climate-positive solutions to different climates, cultures, and regulatory contexts:

• Syn.ikia Project: Developing Sustainable Plus Energy Neighbourhoods (SPEN) across different European climates. [Link to synikia.eu or internal page]
• ARV (Green Deal): Focusing on climate-positive circular communities and the implementation of the European Green Deal in the building sector. [Link to arv-project.eu or internal page]
• ChiNoZEN: A bilateral research collaboration between Norway and China on Zero Emission Neighbourhoods. [make Internal web-page.]
• PARCS: Participatory collaborative research to enhance climate change adaptation and mitigation in underserved communities in Asia, North- and South America. [Link to internal web-page]

Our Key Research Pillars:

• Decarbonization: Strategies for zero-emission construction and operation.
• Circular Economy: Urban mining and design for disassembly.
• Energy Flexibility: Integrating buildings into smart, renewable grids.
• Social Sustainability: Exploring how climate-positive design affects health, well-being, and social equity.

Call to Action / Contact:

If you are interested in exploring new research collaborations or joint project opportunities, our team is always open to dialogue. Please visit our [Contact page] to connect with key researchers involved in our ongoing activities.