Advances climate action through architecture and community-led solutions.
re:arc institute is a Copenhagen-based non-profit organization funded by the Inter IKEA Foundation, with a global remit focused on leveraging architecture and design to advance climate action. Its mission is to support community-led solutions that address both the root causes and the consequences of climate breakdown, particularly by centering the needs of marginalized groups such as women, youth, and people from the global majority. The institute operates through three primary models: Grants, the Practice Lab, and Public Discourse. Grants support innovative, hyper-local projects that empower architects, designers, and grassroots movements to realize concepts for planetary well-being. The Practice Lab partners directly with practitioners and local communities to develop and realize built projects, treating each as an experiment in alternative philanthropic practice. The Public Discourse program enables educators and advocates to foster new narratives at the intersection of climate, architecture, and socio-ecological transformation. A typical project through the Practice Lab can receive up to 250,000 EUR, with project cycles that initially last 3-4 months for proposal development, followed by up to two years for full realization. Selection criteria prioritize projects that effectively communicate context, concept, community engagement, and long-term sustainability strategies. In 2024, re:arc is supporting nearly 40 initiatives worldwide, ranging from urban farms and neighborhood kitchens to site-responsive archives and AI-driven restorative tools, in locations as diverse as Brazil, Nairobi, and the Netherlands. Their approach emphasizes rapid-cycle experimentation, community partnership, and scalable systemic change.