To face THE challenge of our era GROUP A launches CARBONLAB, led by Willem van Genugten. CARBONLAB investigates the CO2 footprint of projects and thereby lays a foundation for a new way of designing.

CO2 emissions are the trigger for a series of interrelated challenges such as climate change, declining ecosystems and decreasing food security. There is a direct link to how we design a sustainable living environment: approximately 38% of global CO2 emissions are the result of the built environment. This places a significant responsibility on the entire construction sector to achieve CO2 reduction. The transition is inevitable but requires customized solutions.

With CARBONLAB we anticipate upcoming regulations and incentives. From sketch phase to user phase, we investigate how we can reduce the CO2 footprint of our design proposals. The goal is to flip the coin and turn designs into carbon sinks: Climate Positive design, construction and living. Using CO2 reduction and storage as a benchmark results in possibilities for responsible construction, regeneration of ecosystems and new business models. With an integrated view on the CO2 component of projects we can motivate clients to make fundamentally sustainable choices.

Starting as a think tank within GROUP A, CARBONLAB focuses on developing and applying knowledge of technologies, materials, (anticipating) regulations and incentives. Both internally and in collaboration with knowledge partners, in order to formulate project-driven solutions. GROUP A invites parties that share this mission and want to exchange knowledge and experience to contact CARBONLAB: carbonlab@groupa.nl.

‘On the threshold of GROUP A’s next 25 years, we look ahead with great optimism to shape the greatest challenge of our time. With CARBONLAB we will lay a foundation for a new way of designing and building.’
– Folkert van Hagen, partner GROUP A

‘This is a wonderful scale-up of my ambition in our profession. As a sector, we must move towards architecture and construction as part of the solution: Reversing Climate Change. With GROUP A we are going to explore how that can be done.’
– Willem van Genugten, Sustainable Business Developer GROUP A