A transition to green buildings in Norway

•The study provides an in-depth panorama of the transition to sustainability in Norwegian construction sector.•The main driving forces and characteristics of the transition towards green buildings in Norway are identified.•The case identifies three time periods according to emerging dominant design in in green building.•Findings indicate a significant shift in transition pathway coincided with shift in attitudes.•The project-based nature of construction meant regime had double role in transition efforts.

Energy use in buildings is a significant contributor to climate change. The purpose of this paper is to explore industrial changes towards sustainability in the Norwegian construction industry, adding to debates about transitions to sustainability and transition pathways in a traditional, low-tech sector. Empirically the paper reports a case of cumulative changes in the Norwegian construction industry over from 1998 to 2013. The case explores a complex innovation and diffusion process where technologies, visions, actors and policy co-evolve over time to transform an existing socio-technical regime. Findings indicate that the transition moved forward through interplay between innovations in niches, a growing constituency around green building and a string of regulative and market changes.