A newly launched, free digital tool turns climate pathways into project-level carbon budgets for European buildings, offering designers a practical way to contextualize whole-life emissions early in the design process.
Europe; launched at HENN’s Berlin office, Alexanderstraße 7, Berlin, Germany.
About this story
HENN launched CarbonBudget, a digital tool developed within its sustainability team to assess whether a building project in Europe is compatible with a carbon budget aligned with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C target. The tool uses project location, completion year and building area to calculate a budget for building emissions, including construction and operation; it can also visualize existing life-cycle-assessment values against the allocated budget. HENN describes the approach as drawing on Science Based Targets initiative and Carbon Risk Real Estate Monitor data and accounting for the decarbonization of European electricity grids. The tool is intended for architects, engineers, developers, researchers and policymakers. HENN announced the Berlin launch event for September 24, 2026; the selected ArchDaily article reporting the launch was published October 7, 2026.
Status and timeline
Launched September 24, 2026, at HENN’s Berlin office; available at carbonbudget.eu. HENN says the tool is free for professional and commercial use. No end date announced.
Design highlights
Translates decarbonization pathways into a project-specific whole-life carbon reference; uses location, completion year and building area as inputs; allows existing LCA values to be assessed in relation to the budget; designed for European projects and informed by SBTi and CRREM data and electricity-grid decarbonization.
