C40 Cities’ VISIBLE project, supported by Laudes Foundation, launched in 2023 to support London, Madrid, and Oslo to pilot approaches for a just, viable and regenerative built environment.
Over a year later, each city has made notable progress in advancing projects to accelerate the transition of their construction sectors. Here, we look at innovative city-led initiatives in Oslo, Norway’s capital, showcasing its achievements in making the construction industry more sustainable.
What can cities learn from Oslo’s progress on clean construction?
Nestled in a fjord, Oslo is one of Europe’s fastest-growing cities and a leader in adopting modern, eco-friendly building practices. In 2019, Oslo City Council introduced procurement criteria to encourage municipal projects to use emission-free construction machinery and transport for materials. Alongside cutting environmental impact, the city launched the Oslo Model for socially responsible procurement, setting strict rules for high-risk sectors like construction. For example, subcontracting chains were limited to a single vertical level to improve oversight.
By making business practices more transparent, it is now much harder for issues like exploitative labour practices and informal work to persist. With Oslo City Council accounting for 20% of the local market’s contract value, construction firms quickly adopted greener methods. According to Silje Bakke, Legal Adviser at the city’s Improvement and Development Agency, five years on, 77% of municipal building sites are emission-free — showing how procurement can drive industry-wide change. From 2025, emission-free construction equipment will be mandatory for all public projects.
Sophie’s Minde is one example of a key project for the city’s buildings team, as it combines high ambition on several clean construction fronts. This 19th-century heritage building is undergoing a deep renovation to become a multi-purpose facility, including a kindergarten, administrative offices, and a community clinic. The work is being carried out using zero-emission construction machinery and extensive material reuse, which isn’t without its challenges. The team are grappling with the complexities of using battery-powered tools in temperatures as low as -25°C, and ensuring all equipment on site, from heavy excavators to the bitumen kettle and energy well driller, is electric.
This project aims to inspire others — and with good reason. The site is expected to produce only 16 tonnes of carbon during construction, compared to 223 tonnes if conventional machinery were used. Another advantage is also that the use of electrified machinery makes construction sites much quieter. Workers, initially doubtful about the changes, were quickly convinced after experiencing the calm and cleanliness of the new tools firsthand.
Another trailblazing project in the east of the city is Fyrstikkbakken 14, known as the ‘matchstick apartments’ after the matchbox industry once based there. Now often referred to as Norway’s ‘divorce apartments’, the site is a trailblazer in innovative rental agreements, shared spaces, and timber-based construction.
As a FutureBuilt pilot project, the 118 flats were constructed using cross-laminated timber and low-carbon concrete. The development includes on-site solar panels generating clean energy, shared electric bicycles and cars, roof gardens, and communal saunas. Environmental innovations are matched by social ones: compact buildings with smart flat designs have attracted diverse residents, including many with non-traditional family structures.
The Løren multi-purpose Sports Hall and Activity Park is another standout example of zero-emission construction combined with material reuse. The external cladding and rooftop structure are made from reused steel, while parts of the façade are clad with reused concrete panels. The steel was sourced from decommissioned ships, marking one of the first local examples of material reuse across industries. OsloBygg, the municipal building agency, is optimistic that the construction sector will increasingly draw on secondary materials from other industries to advance its circular construction goals.
Key learnings from Oslo’s pilot projects
These pilot projects in motion across Oslo are building the evidence base that clean construction is viable, fair and safe for workers, and should be supported by city councils to propel the positive change necessary for a zero-emission future. Key insights include:
- Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which make up 99.9% of the construction sector, need funding and assistance to keep up with larger competitors and adopt clean technologies. Recognising the high upfront cost of electric machinery as a barrier, Oslo has phased in environmental requirements gradually to accommodate smaller businesses. Likewise, Oslo uses their Business for Climate network and frequent market dialogues to ensure policymaking and public projects are in tune with what’s technically and financially viable for their local business ecosystem.
- The Building & Woodworker’s International (BWI) Union and Fellesforbundet – BWI’s Norwegian affiliate – stress the importance of involving workers in decision-making. Successful adoption of clean construction depends on worker engagement, upskilling, and support to ensure the transition delivers equitable benefits and is inclusive to minorities and women.
- Transitioning to clean construction involves on-the-job learning and experimentation. Public-private initiatives like FutureBuilt have driven change, demonstrating the cost competitiveness of innovative methods, such as reusing structural concrete slabs, which became viable over the last five years through pilot projects and shared knowledge.
- Developing a market for material reuse is key to clean construction but faces obstacles such as matching supply with demand, certifying material quality, and securing storage space. Oslo addressed this with Ombygg, a start-up that manages a secondary material storage facility, logistics support, and material safety certifications to enable a circular construction sector.
These project VISIBLE pilot projects offer practical examples for other C40 cities striving for a just transition in construction. By sharing knowledge and working together, we can create a cleaner, safer, and more inclusive sector that benefits both workers and communities.
Supported by Laudes Foundation, the VISIBLE project was launched in 2023 to help the cities of London, Madrid, and Oslo to pilot approaches for building a just and viable regenerative built environment.
The VISIBLE project is working with these cities to build political and public support and to accelerate their building decarbonisation actions. By learning from diverse stakeholders about the social and economic barriers to a just transition, the cities are piloting clean construction practices that aim to mainstream social equity and economic viability.