On a slice of the ocean front in west Singapore, a startup is building a plant to turn carbon dioxide from air and seawater into the same material as seashells, in a process that will also produce “green” hydrogen — a much-hyped clean fuel.
The idea is that the plant will pull water from the ocean, zap it with an electric current and run air through it to produce a series of chemical reactions to trap and store carbon dioxide as minerals, which can be put back in the sea or used on land.
This Singapore plant is one example of a slew of recent projects that are looking to the oceans, which already absorb almost 30% of humanity’s planet-heating pollution, as a tool to do this.
But carbon-removal projects are controversial, criticized for being expensive, unproven at scale and a distraction from policies to cut fossil fuels. And when they involve the oceans — complex ecosystems already under huge strain from global warming — criticisms can get even louder.
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📸: Equatic
Sustainable construction is entering a decisive phase as Europe and the UK embed environmental sustainability in construction regulations that advance low carbon design and net zero carbon buildings. The Future Homes Standard’s focus on heat pumps highlights an essential shift in sustainable building design where insulation performance determines true energy efficiency. Whole life carbon and embodied carbon have become central benchmarks through which the carbon footprint of construction is measured, driving policy and procurement.
The RAAC concrete crisis has amplified the need for whole life carbon assessment and lifecycle assessment of materials to ensure resilience, safety and compliance in public estates. The reconstruction of affected schools demonstrates progress toward circular economy in construction and underlines the necessity of low embodied carbon materials in rebuilding efforts.
Economically, the rapid decline in renewable costs is changing the life cycle cost profile of projects, reinforcing renewable integration as a risk management tool rather than a reputational exercise. Developers are incorporating eco-design for buildings and resource efficiency in construction to mitigate exposure to fossil fuel price volatility while meeting net zero whole life carbon goals. The sector’s embrace of BREEAM v7 and whole life thinking solidifies sustainable building practices across design and delivery.
London’s research community warns that the loss of urban tree cover threatens green infrastructure and the environmental impact of construction projects, urging planners to adopt sustainable urban development and circular construction strategies. The Royal Mail’s decarbonisation of its estate illustrates how even legacy institutions can achieve carbon footprint reduction through low carbon building upgrades and energy-efficient buildings. At the global level, the UN’s record climate transparency submissions strengthen the momentum for decarbonising the built environment through environmental product declarations (EPDs), sustainable material specification and end-of-life reuse in construction.
A genuine alignment of economics, regulation and cultural commitment now defines sustainable architecture. The sector’s strategic emphasis on whole life carbon, circular economy principles and green construction signals not a trend but a structural shift toward carbon neutral construction and enduring sustainability.
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