From Sustainable to Regenerative: An Investigation into an Emerging Paradigm for the Built Environment
Authors
Midtgaard, Cecilie Kjærulff ; Nørlund, Esben Idorn ; Gomes, Raquel Maria Franco Lopes
Term
4. Term
Publication year
2026
Submitted on
2026-06-04
Pages
104
Abstract
Facing climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource depletion, Denmark’s building sector is examined in this thesis to understand how regenerative building can challenge and potentially reconfigure the current sustainable building regime. Combining literature reviews (State of the Art and State of the Practice) with qualitative, ethnographic methods, the study gathered empirical data through semi-structured interviews, participatory observations at an industry conference, and document analysis of policies, certification frameworks, and reports. The material was analysed using the socio-technical Multi-Level Perspective and Weick’s Sensemaking Theory to address both sectoral structures and how actors interpret regenerative building. Findings show that sustainable building in Denmark constitutes a well-established regime supported by policy, cultural, technical, scientific, and market dimensions, while regenerative building is emerging as a niche through networks, knowledge sharing, demonstration projects, and four key niche innovations: assessing building activity against planetary boundaries and absolute ecological limits, promoting sufficiency by questioning the need for new square metres, using existing buildings as resources through transformation and continued use, and rethinking materials with biogenic, reused, blue, and local resources. The study finds that the niche both depends on and challenges the regime: existing regulations, assessment methods, and certifications can help regenerative ideas gain traction, yet may translate ambitions into forms that fit current practice and thus limit transformative change. It concludes that gradual reconfiguration is more likely than full regime replacement in the short term, and that the value of regenerative building lies not only in providing solutions but also in challenging fundamental assumptions about why, how much, and for whom we build.
Det danske byggeri står over for pres fra klimaændringer, biodiversitetstab og ressourceknaphed, og denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan regenerative byggepraksisser kan udfordre og potentielt omkonfigurere det nuværende bæredygtige byggeregime i Danmark. Med udgangspunkt i litteraturstudier (State of the Art og State of the Practice) og kvalitative, etnografiske metoder er der indsamlet empiri gennem semistrukturerede interviews, deltagende observationer på en branchekonference samt dokumentanalyse af politikker, certificeringer og rapporter. Data er analyseret gennem den socio-tekniske Multi-Level Perspective-tilgang og Weicks sensemaking-teori for både at belyse sektorens strukturelle rammer og aktørers meningsdannelse. Resultaterne viser, at bæredygtigt byggeri i Danmark udgør et veletableret regime understøttet af politiske, kulturelle, tekniske, videnskabelige og markedsmæssige dimensioner, mens regenerativt byggeri udvikler sig som en niche via netværk, videnudveksling, demonstrationsprojekter og fire centrale nicheinnovationer: vurdering af byggeaktiviteter op mod planetære grænser og absolutte økologiske grænser, sufficiens gennem at stille spørgsmålstegn ved behovet for nye kvadratmeter, brug af eksisterende bygninger som ressourcer via transformation og videre anvendelse samt nytænkning af materialer med biogene, genbrugte, blå og lokale ressourcer. Studien finder, at nichen både afhænger af og udfordrer det eksisterende regime: Regler, vurderingsmetoder og certificeringer kan hjælpe regenerative idéer med at få fodfæste, men kan også oversætte ambitionerne til former, der passer ind i gældende praksis og dermed begrænse den transformative kraft. Konklusionen er, at en gradvis re-konfiguration er mere sandsynlig end et fuldt regimeskifte på kort sigt, og at værdien af regenerativt byggeri ikke kun ligger i konkrete løsninger, men også i at udfordre grundlæggende antagelser om, hvorfor, hvor meget og for hvem der bygges.
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