Top green projects and sustainability innovations in 2025

As part of Archinect’s 2025 Year in Review series, we are looking back at the highlights across our news coverage of architecture’s top green projects and sustainability innovations. Advancements in materials science, building technology, digital tools, and the application of sustainability measures in projects across a variety of contexts and scopes have been closely covered throughout the year. Here is a selection of stories that stood out.

Construction materials could store billions of tons of CO2, study finds

In January, researchers at the University of California, Davis and Stanford University published a study highlighting the potential for construction materials to store billions of tons of carbon dioxide. The study evaluated the feasibility of carbon sequestration in materials, such as concrete, asphalt, plastics, wood, and brick. The researchers analyzed various approaches, including adding biochar into concrete, using artificial rocks that can be loaded with carbon as concrete and asphalt pavement aggregate, and including biomass fiber into bricks. Concrete emerged as the most impactful material for carbon storage due to its prevalence.

ecoLogicStudio creates algae garden inside historic Turin industrial building

London-based design innovation company ecoLogicStudio created a biophilic facility called the Design Apothecary in Turin, Italy, that centers around a fully functional, air-purifying algae garden. The garden consists of 17 photosynthetic reactors, which support a system that absorbs carbon dioxide at a rate equivalent to the work of four large trees. The 2,700-square-foot, open-plan space contains spaces dedicated to bio-lab research, artistic, and sustainable design experimentation.

Northwestern University researchers develop approach to create carbon-negative cement and concrete

Researchers from Northwestern University developed a carbon-negative building material made using seawater, electricity, and carbon dioxide. It was designed to be an alternative source of the calcium- and magnesium-based minerals that comprise materials, such as cement, concrete, paint, and plasters. The process of making the material was likened to the way coral and mollusks form their shells. It can reportedly hold over half its weight in carbon dioxide.

Corgan launches free mass timber carbon calculator

Texas-based architecture firm Corgan unveiled a tool in April that aims to improve the accuracy of carbon accounting in mass timber construction. Emissions from wood harvesting and transport, as well as the decomposition of tree residues, are often overlooked. The Corgan Mass Timber Carbon Calculator seeks to assist architects and designers in estimating carbon emissions specific to mass timber projects. The free tool allows for more informed material choices from early project phases.

Canada unveils bio-responsive installation at the Venice Biennale

Canada opened its national exhibition at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale with Picoplanktonics, an innovative project that features large-scale 3D-printed structures embedded with live cyanobacteria, microorganisms capable of sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Presented by the Canada Council for the Arts and developed by the Living Room Collective, the exhibition explores the potential of a regenerative design approach. The exhibition features a custom biofabrication platform developed at ETH Zurich. It also requires on-site caretakers to maintain the living elements.

Sponge city concept mitigates flood risk at Turenscape’s Huaiyang Fuxi Cultural Park

Beijing-based practice Turenscape designed a public park in Zhoukou, China, that utilizes the natural topography of the site to create a water-resilient landscape. The project called Huaiyang Fuxi Cultural Park utilizes the sponge city concept, in which natural landscapes provide flood prevention and stormwater management by catching, storing, and cleaning water. The park comprises numerous islands made from recycled dirt and debris. It also stands out through a series of crater-shaped pocket gardens that each host a variety of programs and activities. A bio-water treatment system was also included and is capable of purifying roughly 11,500 tons of water daily.

Penn researchers unveil carbon-capturing bridge prototype in Venice

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania unveiled a modular, prefabricated bridge prototype called DIAMANTI that merges advanced geometry and robotic fabrication. The prototype is currently on display at the European Cultural Centre’s Time – Space – Existence exhibition in Venice. It utilizes a structural method known as Polyhedral Graphic Statics, which allows for a lightweight, high-performance structure that uses fewer materials, while maintaining structural integrity. DIAMANTI also includes prototypes of an additive that increases surface porosity and boosts the material’s ability to absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Inside Japan’s first earth-based 3D-printed home

Japanese housing firm Lib Work completed Japan’s first 3D-printed house made mainly from soil. Called Lib Earth House Model B, the 1,000-square-foot project, located in Yamaga, Kumamoto Prefecture, also marks a step forward for what the company claims will be the world’s first fully AI-powered automated home construction system. The home was developed in collaboration with Arup Japan, Ogawaa Design Studio, and Kyotani Architectural Design Office. The firm claims the structure is five times stronger than its predecessor, with reduced emissions as it’s built from naturally derived materials instead of cement.

Researchers develop ‘supercool cement’ to reduce AC reliance in buildings

An academic research team in China developed a new type of cement that integrates passive daytime radiative cooling. This ‘supercool cement’ could potentially reduce the dependence of concrete buildings on air conditioning while cutting embodied carbon emissions. Using alumina- and sulfur-rich compounds, the cement creates reflective crystals on its surface during production, allowing it to reflect more sunlight away than traditional concrete mixes.

MVRDV launches free tool to tackle embodied carbon in building design

In November, MVRDV released a free, web-based tool called CarbonSpace that aims to help architects address embodied carbon during the earliest stages of design. Developed by MVRDV NEXT in collaboration with Studio AvW, the platform uses quantity estimates and simplified data to inform design decisions and track the carbon impact of materials and systems. MVRDV uses the tool on its own portfolio as it progresses towards 2030 climate goals.

Be sure to follow Archinect’s special End of the Year coverage by following the tag 2025 Year In Review to stay up to date.

 

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