Creating a Sustainable Future

Every day, our work at Populous tells the world a story about who we are and what we believe.

As designers, we have the unique privilege of reimagining the world we share, and we see firsthand the power that our work can have toward the betterment of people, places and the planet.

Populous has been at the forefront of environmentally sustainable design solutions for public assembly venues since the formation of our practice. The future of venue design and events is an environmentally sustainable one, and we are committed to producing outcomes that are world-leading in reducing their impact on our environment, with an end goal of regenerative and climate-positive venues.

Commitment to Zero Carbon Projects

We're dedicated to delivering zero carbon projects by 2030. Learn how we're measuring and tracking the environmental impact of our projects and utilizing recognized frameworks to achieve this goal.

  • Zero Carbon Certification for Climate Pledge Arena

    Populous has already achieved zero carbon certification from the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) for Climate Pledge Arena. It's also the first arena and largest building in the world to receive ILFI's Zero Carbon Certification and sets a precedent in the industry.

  • Environmental Impact Measurement and Tracking

    We are accounting for both operational carbon – the amount of carbon emitted during the operational phase of the project, also known as the total energy needed to operate the project over its life – and embodied carbon, the amount of carbon emitted in producing the materials needed for construction.

  • Utilizing Recognized Frameworks

    We are using the definitions set forth by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the World Green Building Council (WGBC), the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) or the ASHRAE Standard 228 as the framework to deliver zero carbon and zero energy projects.

Leading by Example

Sustainability at Populous means ensuring we lead by example. We strive to operate our offices in an environmentally responsible way and have been awarded Climate Active Certification in recognition of achieving carbon neutrality in the operations of our Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne offices.

Our Road Map: We are now tracking our firm’s ‘global’ operational emissions (scopes 1, 2, and select scope 3*) annually. The primary intent of this exercise is to be transparent.

We will find areas to make reductions and then purchase credible and verifiable offsets each year accordingly. By 2030, we will expand GHG emissions tracking to account for all applicable scope 3 emissions.

  • 1

    Direct emissions owned or controlled by Populous

  • 2

    Indirect emissions from purchased electricity to operate our offices

  • 3

    Indirect emissions that occur in the value chain of our company

As part of our ongoing commitments, Populous is a signatory to Architects Declare Australia, Architects Declare UK, and the AIA 2030 Commitment. In the UK, we are a member of the British Association for Sustainability in Sport (BASIS). Our EMEA region and Australian offices have achieved ISO 14001 certification. Additionally, our Australian offices’ operations are Climate Active carbon-neutral certified and have committed to a carbon reduction strategy, which has a target of 75% reduction by 2030 (scopes 1, 2 and 3).

We will continue to adapt our workflows and educate our staff so the decisions we make are informed and help mitigate the realities of climate change.

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