29 Aug 2024
The VELUX Group and HusCompagniet in new partnership on the Living Places concept
The VELUX Group and the Danish housebuilder, HusCompagniet, have signed a knowledge-based partner agreement on the Living Places concept to help move the Danish construction industry in a more sustainable direction. The agreement builds on the experiences gained from the VELUX Group’s Living Places project and is the first of its kind in Denmark.
The total carbon footprint of the construction industry accounts for approximately 30% of CO2 emissions in Denmark(1), of which 10% comes from the production of building materials and materials for the entire building and construction industry, including the construction of bridges, roads, renovation and new construction(2). Consequently, there is a need to implement and scale new solutions with a lower carbon footprint if the construction sector is to succeed in the green transition. The new partnership agreement between the VELUX Group and HusCompagniet is a good example of how partners across the construction sector join forces to realize this ambition.
“We have a clear ambition to disseminate the knowledge gained through the Living Places project and scale the principles to the general public. HusCompagniet is the largest house builder in the Nordics and an ideal partner for us because they share the vision of creating change through action, accelerating the green transition of the Danish construction industry. This collaboration is the first step towards Danish homeowners eventually being able to build a house based on the Living Places principles - and I am very excited about that,”
Anne Ramskov, Managing Director for VELUX Denmark.
HusCompagniet wishes to contribute to the development of the construction industry - especially within sustainability and the green transition. Since 2019, HusCompagniet has worked with sustainability initiatives as an integral part of its strategy and is now systematically collecting data and knowledge from its houses and suppliers to establish an informed basis for reducing CO2 emissions. With the partner agreement on Living Places, HusCompagniet will gain an even deeper insight into how to work with material selection, design, CO2 footprint, and health in homes going forward.
“We work persistently with sustainability initiatives throughout our value chain and have a strong focus on sharing our experience and knowledge with others in the industry. We do this because we believe that collaboration and knowledge are crucial to driving the development of future buildings in a more sustainable direction, while meeting and addressing today's needs. The agreement with VELUX is a long-term, strategically important collaboration, and our ambition is that in the long term we can implement several of the Living Places principles across our entire business in both the B2C and B2B markets,”
Martin Ravn-Nielsen, CEO of HusCompagniet.
The ambition behind the award-winning Living Places project is to inspire change and show that it is already possible to build with lower CO2 emissions and a better indoor climate at a scalable and affordable level. Living Places is based on five key principles; that homes should be healthy, simple, flexible, scalable, and empower communities.
With the agreement, the VELUX Group shares analyses, calculations, and simulations from Living Places as well as detailed information about the five principles with HusCompagniet. HusCompagniet will work to implement this knowledge in several future projects with the ambition of eventually offering homes with a first-class indoor climate and as low a carbon footprint as possible to Danish homeowners. Thus, the partner agreement is a long-term collaboration between the two parties, where the overall ambition is to push sustainable development and translate insights from the Living Places project to homes for the general Danish population.
(1) https://concito.dk/nyheder/nye-co2-krav-kan-paavirke-flere-facetter-byggeriet , https://www.ft.dk/samling/20191/almdel/KEF/bilag/393/2229190.pdf
(2) https://www.ft.dk/samling/20191/almdel/KEF/bilag/393/2229190.pdf
About the VELUX Group
For more than 80 years, the VELUX Group has created better living environments for people around the world; making the most of daylight and fresh air through the roof. Our product programme includes roof windows and modular skylights, decorative blinds, sun screening products and roller shutters, as well as installation and smart home solutions. These products help to ensure a healthy and sustainable indoor climate, for work and learning, for play and pleasure. We work globally – with sales and manufacturing operations in more than 35 countries and around 11,000 employees worldwide. The VELUX Group is owned by VKR Holding A/S, a limited company wholly owned by non-profit, charitable foundations (THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS) and family. In 2021, VKR Holding had total revenue of EUR 3.5 billion and THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS donated EUR 244 million in charitable grants.
About Living Places
The Living Places concept is developed by the VELUX Group in collaboration with EFFEKT architects and Artelia engineers, who opened the doors to the first prototype in Copenhagen in April last year. Since then, several Danes have shown interest in building houses based on the Living Places concept.
About HusCompagniet
HusCompagniet is a leading provider of single-family detached houses in Denmark and builds semi-detached houses for private consumers and professional investors. Since 1972, they have specialized in designing and building single-family detached house and semi-detached houses, and have built more than 28,500 houses in total. Today, they are the preferred partner for Danish families who want to build a new home with confidence. In 2020, HC established a B2B division focusing on turnkey contracts for professional property developers and investors. In 2022, they invested in their own factory, HusCompagniet Production, where they produce roof cassettes and wall elements are produced with wood as the core component. HC also has a presence in Sweden where they produces prefabricated wood-framed detached houses through its VårgårdaHus brand. In both B2C and B2B business, the ambition is always to deliver quality, innovative solutions and financial security. In 2023, HusCompagniet achieved a turnover of DKK 2.4 billion and an operating profit (EBITDA before special items) of DKK 108 million.