Introducing ACAN!
Read below for more information on our organisation, why we exist, how we’re structured, and ways in which you can get involved.
If you’re looking for the link to join us on Discord, where you can find our thematic groups and more ways to get involved, click here.
ACAN is a voluntary network of individuals from within architecture and its related built environment professions taking critical action to transform our industry in the face of the climate and ecological crises. As a network of individuals, we channel personal energy, expertise and action towards a common goal – the systemic change of our profession and the construction industry as a whole.
To find out more about ACAN and the people behind it, click here.
ACAN! has the following structure:
Membership: If you want to get involved in meaningful climate action, ACAN is for you.
Thematic Groups: A diverse range of groups focused on different areas of climate activism
Coordinators: The people responsible for overseeing the groups and campaigns.
Movement Support: The team who facilitate our network.
Steering Group: Informing strategy and providing governance.
We have three overarching aims:
DECARBONIZE NOW!
We seek to radically transform the regulatory, economic and cultural landscape in which our built environment is made, operated and renewed in order to facilitate rapid decarbonisation of the built environment.
ECOLOGICAL REGENERATION!
We advocate the immediate adoption of regenerative & ecological principles in order to green the built environment, prioritise communities and ecosystems at threat and promote the recovery and restoration of natural environments.
CULTURAL TRANSFORMATION!
We call for a complete remodelling of our professional culture. We must challenge and redefine the value systems at the heart of our industry and education system. We seek to create an open network to share resources and knowledge to aid in this transition.
THEMATIC GROUPS
ACAN is structured into a number of working and thematic groups tackling different areas. Click any of the group titles to discover more about their work.
If you are interested in a particular group or topic please contact us for details about how to get involved, or visit the individual group pages below for their direct contact information.
ACAN’s groups are now hosted on Discord. Click the link below to join our Discord community.
WAYS TO GET INVOLVED
There are many ways to get involved. To begin with, follow ACAN’s socials via the links at the bottom of the site, interact with our content and attend some ACAN events. To get involved with the work of a thematic group, get involved with campaigning and even go on to coordinate a group, attend one of our onboarding calls.
Participate in our campaign
You can also get involved in our latest campaign: LESS CARBON: MORE TRUTH
The campaign will face up to the urgent need to reduce carbon in UK construction, as well as the half-truths, evasions, greenwashing and outright denial that are barriers to achieving that reduction. We argue that the industry is simply not facing up to the reality of climate breakdown and construction’s role in it. LESS CARBON: MORE TRUTH will be a hard-hitting call for evidence-based action.
Stay tuned via ACAN’s socials and newsletters to hear the latest on how you can get stuck in on this campaign.
If you haven’t already, sign up to our mailer via the link at the bottom of this page, and subscribe to our YouTube for the latest webinar recordings and more.
From Assembly to Action: A Just Transition for Our Built Environment
As an “Assembly for a Just Building Transition", we use our diversity and differences to recognise strong points of convergence and a shared responsibility to act now. By working across contexts, we are building a collective European process that remains open, iterative and representative.
LESS CARBON: MORE TRUTH – Get involved in our new campaign
We're launching a new campaign- LESS CARBON: MORE TRUTH- and we're holding an open meeting to hear your pitches on the campaign's direction
ACAN Education Youth Sustainability Workshop
We kicked off our Youth Sustainability Workshops Series at the end of 2025, with our very first workshop, and it was an absolute blast!
Dispatch from the European Assembly for a Just Building Transition
The 2nd European Assembly for a Just Building Transition, hosted by Architects 4 Future Germany in Frankfurt (21–23 November 2025), brought together over 15 organizations and initiatives from across Europe working towards a systemic transformation of the building sector.
