Over the last year there has been a remarkable change in politicians' attitudes within Denmark and EU member states to the issue of climate change. This change in the political mindset is a result of the increasing frequency of high winds and flooding in Denmark and Europe, as well as in many other places around the world in recent years. This has resulted in an increasing challenge in terms of the planning, design and building of more sustainable buildings in order to reduce the use of energy for heating and cooling in new housing projects by bringing down the emission Of CO2 by reducing the amount of fossil fuel consumed by the built environment. This is crucial since carbon dioxide is one of the so-called greenhouse gases that is playing a major role in global warming. There is thus an increased focus on reducing the CO2 level on a national and global scale. This article will look at the architectural and legislative changes in Denmark in relation to the increased political interest in the consequences of climate change. The article also discusses a survey of different types of approaches to the sustainable design of buildings and shows examples of new Danish housing projects that can minimise the use of energy for heating and cooling in the shape of detached houses, as well as a master thesis on high-rise houses. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.