An open-source platform helps the construction industry build with low-carbon materials

OpenDetail, a recently launched educational platform, aims to help the construction industry become more sustainable by building with low-carbon, biogenic materials.

As a crowdsourced, peer-reviewed platform, OpenDetail provides access to specialist insights and construction details that can make biogenic materials easier to specify and use in real-world projects. The platform is designed for students, architects, engineers, and construction professionals.

Henning Larsen, a Denmark-based architectural firm, built the tool in collaboration with Ramboll Foundation, EK Business Academy Copenhagen, Chevrant, and Speckle.

“We created this platform because we need to share knowledge to change the way we build today,” Katrine Juul, lead sustainability architect, Henning Larsen, said in a statement. “To speed up the use of low-emission solutions in the construction industry, knowledge must be available and accessible.”

OpenDetail seeks to address a longstanding industry challenge, according to the statement: While the construction industry remains a significant source of global carbon emissions, design and construction tools have not kept pace with the need for low-carbon alternatives.

Biogenic materials, such as timber, reed, hemp, clay, and mycelium, can help reduce embodied carbon, but the industry needs practical and accessible guidance on how to build with these materials both reliably and at scale.

“The industry is at a turning point, and biogenic materials are changing the way we build for the better,” said Jakob Strømann-Andersen, director of innovation and sustainability, Henning Larsen.

With OpenDetail, users can both contribute and download details and drawings in an open format, helping to implement low-carbon design solutions efficiently.

“OpenDetail makes biogenic detailing accessible and shareable, so more project teams can learn faster and deliver lower-carbon solutions with confidence,” said Anke Pasold, associate professor and lab manager at EK Business Academy Copenhagen.

The platform’s development involved co-creation workshops to define design guidelines, the production of architectural detail drawings, and a peer-review process to ensure usability and buildability. The OpenDetail team will promote community engagement and awareness via discussions, debates, and webinars.