How We Build

Building a sustainable future

Accelerating sustainable building

Harvard is accelerating sustainable building to address the climate crisis, enhance health, productivity, and quality of life on campus – as well as for those in our value chain and their communities. Through sustainable design, construction, sourcing, and operation of our buildings and landscapes, the University helps to foster a flourishing community on campus, locally in Cambridge and Boston and globally.

Illustrated graphic demonstrating buildings against a green square background.

The built environment is ripe for innovation. Globally, buildings and the built environment accounted for more than one-third of all global energy-related carbon emissions in 2021.

At Harvard, heating, cooling, and powering buildings account for 97% of the University’s emissions (scopes 1 and 2). In addition to addressing our emissions, Harvard sees climate as inextricably linked to health, which is a key reason for our climate goals defined as fossil fuel-free. Since we spend 90% of our time indoors, indoor air quality is crucial for human health and cognition and can play a leading role in reducing the transmission of disease.

Around 80,000 industrial chemicals are in use in the U.S., only a few of which are federally regulated. Building and construction materials often contain chemicals of concern that are linked with significant health risks – which is why Harvard launched the Harvard Healthier Building Academy in 2016.

Harvard Healthier Building Academy

The mission of the Harvard Healthier Building Academy (HHBA) is to design, build, and operate…

Harvard’s Sustainable Building Standards

Harvard’s Sustainable Building Standards incorporate holistic requirements for significant emissions reductions, better indoor air quality,…

Building Sustainably

155 LEED-Certified Projects

As of 2025, Harvard has 155 LEED-certified buildings, more than any other higher education institution, including the first LEED Commercials Interiors (CI) V4 in Massachusetts, and the first building in New England to receive a second platinum certification.

3 LBC Core

Harvard has 3 Living Building Challenge (LBC) Core certifications from highly sustainable renovations of HUHRE residential spaces at 5 Sacramento and 13 Kirkland Streets, and the renovation of the second floor of HGSE's Gutman Library. Seven additional projects at Harvard are also targeting LBC Core.

2 Passive House (PHIUS) Projects

Two Harvard University Housing and Real Estate residential spaces at 5 Sacramento and 13 Kirkland Streets received certifications from Passive House Institute US (PHIUS). The renovations maintained the historic exteriors of the buildings while making them all-electric, low energy, and adding 30 beds available to University affiliates to support housing needs.

Sustainable Building Goals

Advance and strengthen Harvard’s Sustainable Building Standards
Continue removing harmful classes of chemicals, like PFAS, from Harvard’s value chain and incorporate new classes of chemicals of concern into our Sustainable Building Standards
Conduct a University-wide climate vulnerability study to mitigate risk and prepare for the future
Continue to preserve and enhance campus open spaces and landscape elements
Expand and sustainably manage the 7,700-tree inventory on campus
Update energy and emissions targets for new construction and renovation projects in Harvard’s Sustainable Building Standards
Invest in pilot projects to leverage the latest research and thinking
Explore new financial models to drive innovation

Building Sustainably

20% lower embodied carbon in new construction

Harvard plans to reduce embodied carbon in the primary materials used in new construction projects by a minimum of 20% from comparable conventional buildings.

50+ projects, 5M sq. ft.

HHBA impacted healthier, more sustainable purchases in 50+ capital projects representing 5M+ square feet of real estate. HHBA standards eliminate forever chemicals and other petrochemicals from products, supporting health on campus and supply chain communities both "upstream" (suppliers) and "downstream" (distribution and delivery).

2 mass timber projects

Harvard’s first mass timber buildings in Allston include the David Rubenstein Treehouse Conference Center and the Goel Center for Creativity & Performance, the new home of the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.). Mass timber offers a more sustainable alternative to traditional building materials, contributing to significant reductions in embodied carbon.

Reducing Embodied Carbon

Embodied carbon refers to the greenhouse gas emissions created by manufacturing, transportation, installation, maintenance, and disposal of building materials, such as concrete and steel. The University is taking action to mitigate embodied carbon, while avoiding unintended consequences that negatively impact health.

Learn about Scope 3 Emissions

Sustainable Building