The AJ’s Climate Change special issue features building studies of three highly sustainable developments: Goldsmith Street housing in Norwich by Mikhail Riches; the 800-home Climate Innovation District in Leeds by Citu with White Arkitekter; and the Virido development in Cambridge by Pollard Thomas Edwards PLUS We investigate what architects can do to mitigate the huge impact of construction on global warming; Paul Finch stresses the importance of designing with longevity in mind; and Hattie Hartman applauds workshops educating schoolchildren about the built environment’s effect on carbon emissions.