Publication

Accelerating low carbon curtain walling: impactful solutions for now

This report outlines six actions that, in collaboration with industry, can be delivered now to drive meaningful change and reduce the embodied carbon of facades by over 50%.

View upwards of a modern facade of an office building and trees

Last updated: October 2025

Buildings designed today will shape our carbon future. As the industry moves from operational to whole-life carbon, curtain walling façades present a major opportunity to reduce emissions – if we rethink how they’re designed and delivered.

By 2030, the built environment is expected to halve its carbon emissions. Achieving this target will depend on open collaboration and a willingness to challenge the status quo. Every stakeholder – from designers and engineers to developers, manufacturers, clients, and investors – has a role to play.

Accelerating low carbon curtain walling:

Sets out six practical, design-led and cost-effective actions that can be implemented immediately, developed through collaboration between Arup, Scheldebouw, and Alinea;
Highlights the importance of dialogue with clients, developers, architects, contractors and investors, which has surfaced valuable insights around feasibility, compromise, and shared responsibility;
Provides actionable guidance to inform better decision making and accelerate sustainable outcomes.