Center for Sustainable Building Research (CSBR)

Working to transform the built environment in ways that provide for the ecological, economic, and social needs of the present—without compromising those of the future.

Featured Project

21st Century Development

21st Century Development strives to provide a healthy environment for all people and living systems now and in a dynamic future. This project model benefits all living systems by enabling human and natural systems to coevolve and regenerate. Professionals from architecture, engineering, and other fields are partnering with public officials, the private sector, and nonprofit leaders to reimagine the practice of development and bring 21st Century Development concepts to life around the world.

Blue, yellow, and red houses situated on waterfront.

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CSBR's projects focus on six areas: energy and climate change, the water cycle, sustainable materials for a healthy built environment, measuring regenerative design, equitable designs to provide sustainability for all, and creating regenerative and resilient communities.

John Carmody
John Carmody: A Life in Sustainability

This virtual exhibition, originally presented at the HGA Gallery in Fall 2022, looks back at the influential life of John Carmody, founding director for the Center for Sustainable Building Research (CSBR) at the University of Minnesota. John Carmody - A Life in Sustainability celebrates his remarkable 40+ year career as an environmental activist and systems designer who brought actionable solutions to complex problems. His journey to enrich humankind's spiritual connection with Earth inspires the responsible stewardship that CSBR, and many others, continue to work on today.