Aarhus Center for Regenerativt Byggeri

What Aarhus Center for Regenerativt Byggeri does

Aarhus Center for Regenerativt Byggeri (ACRB) is a Danish non-profit knowledge and research centre founded on 1 September 2023 by Aarhus University, Aarhus School of Architecture, and the family behind the engineering design firm Søren Jensen. Its stated mission is to develop and promote a new regenerative construction paradigm in which the built environment actively contributes to regenerating ecosystems, climate, and human well-being rather than merely reducing harm. The centre operates as a convening and knowledge-sharing platform rather than a commercial entity.

ACRB's core outputs are research publications, open-source digital tools, and convening programmes. Its principal knowledge artefacts include the Regenerative Design Dialogue Framework (a four-layer visual framework available in Danish and English), LCA Volume (an open-source Grasshopper script for Rhino 3D that integrates early-phase life cycle assessment into design), the VOL. 1 Regenerative Building publication cataloguing 65 international case examples, the Genbrug på matriklen research project on on-site material reuse, and the ATV Mission Lab for Regenerativt Byggeri initiative producing a White Paper, an Action Guide with seven action tracks, and four newsletters. The centre runs a programme of free open meetings, workshops, and dialogues at its Aarhus headquarters (Europaplads 8) and online.

The centre is funded through institutional backing from its three founders and external philanthropic grants, principally from Realdania. It has no commercial revenue, pricing model, or paid offerings; all knowledge outputs are distributed free of charge. ACRB has expanded its partner network beyond the three founders to include CEBRA, Alexandra Instituttet, INCUBA, Bloxhub, Teknologisk Institut, Aarhus Municipality, ERIK arkitekter, DTU, Videnscenter for Cirkulær Økonomi i Byggeriet, and ATV. It targets researchers, built-environment industry professionals, regulators, students, and decision-makers as participants in its dialogue and research activities.

Name

Aarhus Center for Regenerativt Byggeri

Legal name

Aarhus Center for Regenerativt Byggeri

Website

https://acrb.dk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Aarhus Center for Regenerativt Byggeri is a Danish non-profit knowledge centre founded in 2023 that develops and disseminates research, frameworks, and open-source digital tools to advance regenerative building practices across researchers, industry professionals, and regulators in Denmark.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Building Research and Knowledge Hub

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation (BPAGAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Circular Economy & Resource Efficiency (BPADALAM)

Keywords

• Regenerative building research
• Knowledge sharing centre
• Built environment research
• Life cycle assessment tools
• Sustainable construction framework

Headquarters

HQ city

Aarhus

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Research funding and grants: The centre operates as a non-profit research and knowledge-sharing organisation funded through institutional backing (Aarhus University, Aarhus School of Architecture, Søren Jensen) and external research grants from foundations such as Realdania. It has a stated objective to secure long-term and sustainable financing from Danish and international, private and public sources for both basic research and applied pilot projects. Profit is reinvested into new research.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Aarhus Center for Regenerativt Byggeri is a non-profit research and knowledge-sharing centre that develops, publishes, and disseminates research outputs, visual frameworks, and digital tools to advance regenerative building practices. Its core offerings include the LCA Volume digital life-cycle assessment tool (a Grasshopper script for Rhino), the Regenerative Design Dialogue Framework, research publications such as VOL. 1 and Genbrug på matriklen, and the Mission Lab initiative producing white papers, action guides, and newsletters. All outputs are offered free of charge to researchers, industry practitioners, regulators, students, and the public.

Product overview

Aarhus Center for Regenerativt Byggeri (ACRB) is a knowledge and networking center that promotes a new regenerative construction paradigm. The organization functions as a platform for research, knowledge sharing, and collaboration rather than a traditional product company. Its core offerings include digital tools (LCA Volume, Regenerative Design Dialogue Framework), research publications (VOL. 1 Regenerative Building, Genbrug på matriklen), and the Mission Lab initiative producing white papers, guides, and newsletters. These products work together to provide a comprehensive ecosystem for advancing regenerative building practices through evidence-based knowledge, practical frameworks, and collaborative dialogue across the building industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LCA Volume Open-source digital tool that integrates early-phase environmental impact assessments into the architectural design process. It enables comparison of different scenarios and highlights the potential for preserving existing building structures. Developed as a Grasshopper script for Rhino 3D software.
• Regenerative Design Dialogue Framework A visual framework tool enabling holistic approaches to regenerative building through four concentric layers: core values, design principles, systemic approaches, and concrete indicators with practical actions. Supports dialogue, reflection, and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
• Mission Lab for Regenerativt Byggeri A collaborative initiative bringing together experts from research, education, and industry to explore and advance regenerative building practices through workshops, dialogues, and knowledge-sharing activities.
• Genbrug på matriklen (Reuse on the Site) A research publication examining how architects can work with materials already present on construction sites, investigating design process impacts and barriers to direct reuse in building.
• VOL. 1. Regenerative Building – examples, processes, and narratives from an ongoing paradigm shift A research-based publication providing a literature review tracing 100 years of regenerative design concepts, an international case overview of 65 buildings with regenerative approaches, and analysis of LCA and biodiversity metrics.
• Hvidbog om ATV Mission Lab for Regenerativt Byggeri (White Paper) A comprehensive white paper compiling the most important insights, experiences, and perspectives from nearly a year and a half of work across research, practice, and industry stakeholders in the Mission Lab project.
• Guide ATV Mission Lab (Action Guide) A guide presenting seven action paths for realizing regenerative building and five recommendations for key ecosystem actors, including public authorities, research communities, investors, consultants, and civil society.
• Mission Lab Aviser (Mission Lab Newsletters) A series of four newsletters documenting highlights, reflections, and perspectives from the in-person sessions of the Mission Lab project, covering topics from vision development to ecosystem thinking and action organization.
• Research & Innovation Knowledge Sharing Access to the latest knowledge and research on regenerative building, sharing studies, research projects, analyses, and publications from interdisciplinary collaborations across architecture, engineering, materials science, and building practice.

Quantifiable outcome

• The construction industry accounts for nearly 40% of the planet's total CO2 emissions
• +3 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.

• Aarhus Universitet (Aarhus University)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2023One of three founding institutions of the centre. Contributes through the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering and the Institute of Building and Building Design. Provides research expertise, academic credibility, and student engagement. Key faculty members (Steffen Petersen, Pil Brix Purup, Gustaf Lohm, Mette Stasiak Hagelquist, Kristina Hoffmann) serve on the Collaborating Partner Team and Steering Committee.
• Arkitektskolen Aarhus (Aarhus School of Architecture)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2023One of three founding institutions. Contributes architecture research expertise and leads key research projects such as 'Regenerative Architecture – examples, processes and narratives' and 'Genbrug på matriklen'. Key faculty (Lotte M. Bjerregaard Jensen, Jens Pedersen, Heidi Merrild) serve on the Collaborating Partner Team and Steering Committee.
• Søren JensencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2023The family-owned engineering design firm is one of the three founding parties. Provides industry perspective, project experience, and practical implementation knowledge. Key individuals (Frank Jensen, Hanne Tine Ring Hansen, Theis Pedersen, Anna Elisabeth Kristoffersen) participate in the Steering Committee and Collaborating Partner Team. Hosts the Regenerative Buildings Officer role within the firm.
• CEBRAstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a strategic partner on the centre's About page. CEBRA contributed to the research publication 'Genbrug på matriklen' and collaborated on the LCA Volume project alongside Aarhus University. Stina Rask Jensen from CEBRA serves on the Collaborating Partner Team.
• Alexandra Instituttet (Alexandra Institute)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a strategic partner on the About page. Mia Kruse, Senior Anthropologist and PhD, from Alexandra Instituttet serves on the Collaborating Partner Team, bringing anthropological expertise to interdisciplinary projects.
• CEBRAstrategicTechnology or IntegrationPartnered with Aarhus University on the LCA Volume project, a digital open-source tool integrating early-phase life cycle assessment into the design process. Developed as a Grasshopper script for Rhino, an industry-standard architectural software platform.
• INCUBAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a strategic partner on the About page. Jacob Doktor Mogensen, CEO of INCUBA, serves on the Steering Committee.
• BloxhubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a strategic partner on the About page. Bloxhub is a Copenhagen-based innovation hub for sustainable urbanisation and the built environment.
• Teknologisk Institut (Technological Institute of Denmark)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a strategic partner on the About page. Teknologisk Institut contributes applied research and testing expertise relevant to regenerative building materials and systems.
• Aarhus Kommune (Aarhus Municipality)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a strategic partner on the About page. Anne Mette Boye, Chief City Architect of Aarhus Municipality, serves on the Steering Committee, representing the municipal planning and regulatory perspective.
• ERIK arkitekter A/SminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a strategic partner on the About page. Rune Elsgart, Head of Sustainability and Architect at ERIK arkitekter, serves on the Collaborating Partner Team.
• DTU - Danmarks Tekniske Universitet (Technical University of Denmark)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributed to the 'Genbrug på matriklen' research project alongside CEBRA and other partners, contributing technical university expertise in building materials and circular construction.
• Videnscenter for Cirkulær Økonomi i Byggeriet (Knowledge Centre for Circular Economy in Construction)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributed to the 'Genbrug på matriklen' research project, providing circular economy expertise relevant to direct reuse of building materials.
• Akademiet for de Tekniske Videnskaber (ATV / Academy of Technical Sciences)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered on the Mission Lab for Regenerativt Byggeri initiative, part of ATV's Guide til et Resilient Danmark programme. ATV produced the Mission Lab Guide with seven action tracks and five recommendations for key ecosystem actors. The centre served as platform for the Mission Lab and continues as a platform for the ambassador corps.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Architecture 2030: US-based nonprofit focused on carbon-neutral and regenerative building, driving the 2030 Challenge and related standards. Operates a similar thought-leadership-advocacy model for regenerative built environment, with global reach and measurable targets.
• World Green Building Council: Global umbrella organization advancing sustainable building through advocacy, certification frameworks (EDGE, LEED), and policy. ACRB's regenerative focus and VOL. 1 framework effort sit within the broader sustainable-building agenda WGBC drives.
• Ellen MacArthur Foundation: Global thought leader on circular economy, with substantial built-environment programmes. Comparable to ACRB in its mission to shift construction from linear to circular/regenerative, but at international scale and with much larger philanthropic and corporate backing.

Emerging players

• Carbon Leadership Forum: Multi-stakeholder initiative at the University of Washington advancing whole-building life cycle assessment and embodied carbon reduction. Comparable to ACRB as a research-driven convening platform with academic anchoring and practitioner engagement.
• One Click LCA: Commercial life cycle assessment software for the built environment. Directly comparable to ACRB's LCA Volume tool but at much greater scale, with global adoption and a SaaS revenue model — competing for the same practitioner mindshare.

Direct peers

• BLOXHUB: Copenhagen-based innovation hub for the built environment and sustainable urbanisation. Listed as a strategic partner of ACRB and operates a similar convening-thought-leadership model for the Danish built environment sector, making it the closest peer in terms of mission and ecosystem.
• Danish Architecture Center (DAC): Denmark's national centre for architecture and urban development, hosting exhibitions, debates, and publications. Comparable to ACRB as a Danish built-environment knowledge hub with a public-engagement and thought-leadership mandate.
• Videnscenter for Cirkulær Økonomi i Byggeriet: Denmark's Knowledge Centre for Circular Economy in Construction. Collaborated with ACRB on the Genbrug på matriklen project and addresses an overlapping theme (circular/reuse construction) with a similar knowledge-hub and research-publication model.

Others

• CEBRA: Danish architecture firm that is both a strategic partner of ACRB and a contributor to the LCA Volume project. Comparable as an active regenerative-architecture practitioner (representative of the industry side ACRB convenes) rather than a knowledge-hub competitor.

Regional players

• DGNB (German Sustainable Building Council): Germany's certification system for sustainable buildings and a central knowledge hub for the German-speaking built environment. Operates the same knowledge-hub-plus-certification model ACRB aspires to, but at a much larger national scale and with a formalized standard.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aarhus-center-for-regenerativt-byggeri

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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