MVRDV has launched CarbonSpace, a transparent, web-based tool that helps architects design with embodied carbon from day one of the design process. Developed out of a wish to improve carbon literacy and promote data transparency, CarbonSpace is now available to the public free of charge. Created by the practice’s research and development unit MVRDV NEXT, in collaboration with Studio AvW, the tool is designed to support informed decision-making throughout the design process, starting as early as a napkin sketch. It works with quantity estimates and a transparent database, offering fast feedback and the ability to compare different design options. Following its launch, the tool will also be used in collaboration with the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) to help establish a shared, global understanding of embodied carbon in buildings.

The building industry plays a major role in climate change, accounting for 39% of global carbon emissions. Although awareness is growing, reducing embodied carbon is still difficult. One of the many hurdles in this process is the overreliance on calculation tools that require detailed models, precise data, and complex databases that are often hidden behind a paywall. As a result, by the time embodied carbon calculations are complete, the opportunity to change the design has often passed. This push for precision has not led to faster or deeper decarbonisation; in fact, a focus on reporting has seemingly distracted designers from taking meaningful action. On top of that, regulations and standards vary between countries, making honest carbon comparisons between projects nearly impossible.

Without a common language, it is hard to know what works, and even harder to make progress. In response to this challenge, MVRDV developed CarbonSpace as a practical and transparent tool for designers. Rather than focusing on detailed carbon calculations late in the design process, the tool is built to work from the “napkin sketch” stage, using rough input data or even simple rules of thumb to give immediate feedback on the carbon consequences of design choices.

As such, it is not a validation tool, but a decision-support tool: “CarbonSpace won’t solve the climate crisis on its own. But it will help architects design with carbon from day one and make informed decisions”, explains Sanne van der Burgh, head of MVRDV NEXT. “We want to give designers the confidence to act without waiting for perfect data. More importantly, we want to create a shared language for carbon, so we can collaborate, learn from each other, and make better decisions as an industry.”

CarbonSpace links quantity inputs such as areas of floor and façade or the volume of a building’s foundation to a streamlined, internationally representative carbon database based on a simplified version of the open-source Ökobaudat database maintained by the German Federal Government. The tool also includes pre-set libraries of common components, materials, and detail build-ups, allowing for faster estimations across a wide range of project types. With this approach, CarbonSpace helps design teams understand how different systems, structures, and materials affect a project’s embodied carbon. For MVRDV, this process has already driven a focus on low-weight designs as the primary factor influencing embodied carbon. It has also allowed the practice to steer projects through the design development, sounding the alarm when the design’s initial sustainable ambitions are threatened by a series of compromises.

Users can further amplify the power of CarbonSpace thanks to an openly accessible API, which allows users to connect the tool to Rhino, Revit, or to deliver data to Microsoft’s Power BI tool, creating useful data visualisations. In the case of MVRDV, the latter capability was used to create a dashboard comparing the carbon emissions of all the firm’s projects, and tracking the progress of the entire portfolio towards the 2030 climate targets. In a similar way, other users will be able to create their own dashboards that meet their organisation’s specific needs.

To further extend its impact, MVRDV has decided to make CarbonSpace publicly available and to invite partners across the industry to use, test, and improve the tool. This decision reflects a core belief that openness and collaboration are essential to meaningful climate action. Free access will also encourage more people to contribute their projects to the Carbon Race, a public, anonymised (and optional) dashboard to encourage friendly competition and keep track of the whole community’s progress towards low-carbon designs. The tool is already being used by a range of beta partners, including architects, engineers, academic institutions, and sustainability consultants, and is at the heart of a new partnership with CTBUH. As part of its global Sustainability Initiative, CTBUH is adopting CarbonSpace to support honest, cross-border comparisons of tall building projects.

“Our collaboration with MVRDV NEXT enables us to shape the future of sustainable urban development, through critical research and the dissemination of ground-breaking innovations”, says CTBUH chair Shonn Mills. “As part of our 2026 Sustainability Initiative Program, CarbonSpace will help facilitate a collaborative dashboard where professionals, academics, and industry leaders converge to exchange building data and benchmark their projects against innovative practices in the tall building industry.”

CarbonSpace is now available in public beta and free to use. MVRDV encourages professionals from across the industry to explore the tool, give feedback, and contribute to its ongoing evolution. Through collective knowledge and open exchange, the practice hopes to support a future in which design is not only beautiful and functional, but also lighter, smarter, and lower in carbon.

CarbonSpace is in compliance with GDPR legislation. Neither MVRDV nor other parties have access to user data or design information. The tool can be accessed at carbonspace.earth