FutureBuilt

What FutureBuilt does

FutureBuilt is a Norwegian municipal innovation program, established in 2010 and headquartered in Oslo, that operates as a showcase window and methodology framework for climate-neutral construction and urban development. The program is collectively owned and governed by a partnership of 10 Norwegian municipalities (Oslo, Bærum, Asker, Drammen, Nordre Follo, Lillestrøm, Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger, and Kristiansand) and has supported approximately 85 pilot projects that target a minimum 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions relative to standard practice.

The core product is the FutureBuilt ZERO criteria framework, an extensible methodology for certifying climate-friendly buildings, areas, landscapes, and mobility. The framework splits into sub-modules — ZERO-L for landscapes, ZERO-O for area development (requiring at least 25% GHG reduction versus a Paris-curve baseline), ZERO-T for green mobility, ZERO-metodikk for emissions accounting, and Sirkulære bygg for circular construction — together with supporting methodologies such as the Circularity Index. Notable implementations include Powerhouse Kjørbo (plus-house standard rehabilitation in Bærum), Nordre gate 12 in Trondheim (60% circularity index, BREEAM Outstanding), Laerdal Medical headquarters in Stavanger, and the Paradis area development (6-7000 workplaces and 1000 new homes). Architecture firms such as Snøhetta and developers including Bane NOR Eiendom, E C Dahls/Reitan, OBOS, and BOB participate as strategic partners.

FutureBuilt's business model is a partnership-funded, project-based hybrid. The 10 municipalities provide core operating contributions, and individual building project developers pay participation fees to access the methodology, certification, and visibility as FutureBuilt pilot projects. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated through municipal partnership agreements. Distribution is direct-to-municipality and direct-to-developer, with supplementary reach through the futurebuilt.no website, newsletters, industry events (Top leader gatherings, DEL&LÆR seminars), and social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram). Funding flows are augmented by external Norwegian bodies such as Enova and Miljødirektoratet at the project level, not at the program-operating level.

Name

FutureBuilt

Legal name

FutureBuilt

Website

https://futurebuilt.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

FutureBuilt is a Norwegian municipal innovation program, governed by a partnership of 10 cities, that provides a climate-neutral construction methodology (the ZERO criteria framework) and certifies approximately 85 pilot building and area-development projects across Norway.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Construction Consulting

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241)

akta.pro primary industry

Transition Plan Development & Implementation Roadmapping (EUABAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation (BPAGAGAF), Sustainability Engagement, Training & Behavior Change Programs (On-site) (BPABALAK)

Keywords

• Sustainable construction
• Climate-friendly buildings
• Circular economy construction
• Green building certification
• Low-emission architecture

Headquarters

HQ city

Oslo

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Municipal partnership contributions: FutureBuilt is funded through a partnership of 10 Norwegian municipalities. The program receives municipal contributions to operate the innovation program and support project development.
2. Project participation fees: Building projects pay to participate in the FutureBuilt program, receiving access to methodology, criteria certification, and visibility as pilot projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

FutureBuilt is a Norwegian innovation program and partnership that develops climate-neutral urban areas and high-quality architecture. It provides a methodology and criteria framework (FutureBuilt ZERO, ZERO-L, ZERO-O, ZERO-T) for climate-friendly construction projects, requiring a minimum 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to standard practice. The program recruits building developers, municipalities, and architecture firms to participate in pilot projects that exceed UN sustainability goals and Paris Agreement targets.

Product overview

FutureBuilt is an innovation program and showcase window for sustainable building in Norway, managed as a partnership between Norwegian municipalities (Oslo, Bærum, Asker, Drammen, Nordre Follo, Lillestrøm, Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger, and Kristiansand). The program operates through its website (futurebuilt.no) to present exemplary projects and provides structured criteria frameworks including FutureBuilt ZERO (core methodology), FutureBuilt ZERO-L (landscapes), FutureBuilt ZERO-O (areas/neighborhoods), and FutureBuilt ZERO-T (green mobility). The offering consists of quality criteria and methodology for climate-friendly building rather than a traditional software product. Projects span various categories including residential, office, education, culture, healthcare, infrastructure, and public spaces, with themes covering circular economy, biodiversity, social sustainability, and energy efficiency.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FutureBuilt Innovation Program
• FutureBuilt ZERO Criteria Framework
• FutureBuilt ZERO-L (Landskap)
• FutureBuilt ZERO-O (Områder)
• FutureBuilt ZERO-T (Grønn mobilitet)
• FutureBuilt ZERO Methodology
• Sirkulære bygg (Circular Buildings Criteria)

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% minimum greenhouse gas reduction required for all projects
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, supportive, flagship, key and innovation.

• Oslo MunicipalitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Founding and lead municipality in the FutureBuilt partnership, governing the program alongside nine other Norwegian municipalities.
• Bergen MunicipalitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst municipality outside Oslo region to join FutureBuilt (2023), with multiple pilot projects including Dokken area development, Mindemyren multi-use building, and residential projects.
• Trondheim MunicipalitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner municipality with completed projects including Nordre gate 12 (first FutureBuilt beacon project in Trondheim) and ongoing Midtbykvartalet development.
• Stavanger MunicipalitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner municipality since February 2024, with projects including Laerdal Medical headquarters, Spinn building, and Paradis area development.
• Bærum, Asker, Drammen, Nordre Follo, Lillestrøm, Kristiansand MunicipalitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner municipalities in the FutureBuilt governance partnership supporting sustainable construction across Norwegian urban areas.
• Miljødirektoratet (Environmental Directorate)supportiveOthersProvides funding support for pilot projects, including the subproject at Mindemyren flerbruksbygg exploring methods for dismantling and reusing concrete from existing buildings.
• EnovasupportiveOthersGovernment enterprise providing financial support for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Powerhouse Kjørbo received approximately 15.9 MNOK in support. Delegården received Enova funding for reuse and flexibility opportunity study.
• Bane NOR EiendomflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloper of Paradis area development in Stavanger, signing intention agreement with FutureBuilt to create a climate-neutral neighborhood with 6-7000 workplaces and 1000 new homes.
• SnøhettakeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm designing multiple FutureBuilt projects including Laerdal Medical headquarters and Powerhouse Kjørbo (rehabilitation to plus-house standard).
• E C Dahls Eiendom / Reitan EiendomkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerProperty developers of Nordre gate 12 project in Trondheim, achieving 60% circularity index and Trondheim's first FutureBuilt beacon project.
• EU NEB-STAR projectinnovationStrategic or Co-development PartnerSite 4016 (Spinn building) in Stavanger is part of EU NEB-STAR project testing social processes with students planning to work in construction and property industries.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• World Green Building Council: World GBC is the global umbrella for national green building councils (including NGBC, SGBC, DGNB member councils). It is comparable as the supranational coordinating body for building-decarbonization advocacy that legitimizes national programs like FutureBuilt.
• DGNB (German Sustainable Building Council): DGNB is the leading sustainability certification in German-speaking markets, with a holistic lifecycle approach to building performance. It is comparable as a national/regional certification scheme that FutureBuilt's methodology overlaps in scope (circularity, lifecycle emissions, social sustainability).
• LEED (U.S. Green Building Council): USGBC's LEED rating system is the dominant North American green building certification. It is comparable as a peer-built-environment sustainability framework with similar building-level performance categories (energy, materials, sites, water) that competes for the same large developer attention.
• BREEAM (BRE Group): BREEAM, operated by BRE Group, is the world's most established building sustainability certification with a Norwegian variant (BREEAM-NOR). It is comparable as the incumbent certification regime that FutureBuilt's ZERO criteria and reference projects (e.g., BREEAM Outstanding at Nordre gate 12) are benchmarked against.

Others

• C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group: C40 is a network of global cities committed to climate action, including programs on building decarbonization and net-zero urban development. It is comparable as a peer multi-municipal partnership model for climate action that informs city-level policy and pilot programs adjacent to FutureBuilt's mandate.

Direct peers

• Grønn Byggallianse: Grønn Byggallianse is a Norwegian alliance of building-sector actors (developers, contractors, consultants) working to reduce environmental impact of construction. It is comparable as a parallel national network targeting the same Norwegian construction value chain with sustainability commitments and shared KPIs.
• International Living Future Institute: ILFI runs the Living Building Challenge and other regenerative-design certifications. It is comparable as an NGO-driven certification program pushing beyond LEED-style "less bad" thresholds into net-positive performance, aligning philosophically with FutureBuilt's Paris-curve and 50%-reduction ambition.
• Powerhouse: Powerhouse is a Norwegian alliance defining the "plus-house" standard for buildings that produce more renewable energy than they consume over their lifetime. It is highly comparable: it is a Norwegian multi-actor initiative operating in the same climate-positive building space as FutureBuilt, sharing developers, architects and project pipeline (e.g., Powerhouse Kjørbo in Bærum is itself a FutureBuilt pilot).
• Sweden Green Building Council: SGBC runs the Sweden Green Building Council certification and is the closest Nordic mirror to FutureBuilt. It is comparable as a national sustainability-building rating and member organization in an adjacent geography, addressing the same developer/architect buyer segment.
• Norwegian Green Building Council (NGBC): NGBC operates the BREEAM-NOR environmental certification scheme in Norway and is the sector's established membership body for sustainable buildings. It is comparable to FutureBuilt as the dominant Norwegian green-building certifier, with overlap in member developers and competing criteria frameworks (BREEAM Outstanding vs. FutureBuilt ZERO).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/futurebuilt-byutvikling-klima-innovasjon

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about FutureBuilt