During the COVID-19 crisis, the construction industry has survived with a smaller impact than many other industries. However, the labour-intensive sector depends on the availability of skilled labour, which is also employed outside Finland’s borders. The COVID-19 crisis has contributed to the fact that, as labour mobility becomes more difficult, it has a direct impact on the sector. On the other hand, as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, there is also a strong rise in the prices of construction materials, which also highlights the need for change in the construction industry, for example in terms of material efficiency. The exceptional time has thus created a strong need for more efficient construction processes, including the availability of labour and more efficient use of raw materials, and thus to ensure the sector’s competitiveness. Buildings account for almost 40 % of total energy consumption. Construction, heating and electricity use of buildings account for about 36 % of greenhouse gas emissions. In 2018, Finland had more than 1.53 million buildings with a floor area of approximately 488 million square meters. About 1 % of the existing building stock is demolished annually. About one and a half million tonnes of waste are generated without land masses, of which 70 % (no energy fraction) should be recovered (recycled). (Low carbon construction industry 2035, Part I, RT 2020)Emissions from construction and property maintenance are around 17.1 million tonnes (30 % of total emissions). The emissions from the construction phase are approximately 4.1 million tonnes, which is 7 % of Finland’s annual carbon footprint and the operating phase emissions of approximately 13.0 million tonnes (76 %). (Low carbon construction industry 2035, Part II, RT 2020). Building materials and construction processes currently account for about half of the carbon footprint in the lifecycle of buildings. The second half comes from the energy consumption of buildings during use. The relative importance of construction emissions as part of the life cycle emissions of buildings appears to increase in the future, as the energy performance of buildings will improve and energy production becomes less carbon. From the point of view of the construction product industry (product suppliers) and the construction industry (construction companies), the most important means to reduce emissions from construction are the development of materials to reduce emissions, the reduction of the waste of materials, the development of site operations and its logistics in terms of energy savings. The goal of the Green Transition in Construction project is to identify low-carbon solutions and processes in construction and to promote their deployment. The sub-objective is to strengthen the material know-how related to low-carbon construction and to initiate the necessary product and process development processes. In addition, the sub-target is to accelerate the use of digitalisation in construction processes, especially from a low-carbon perspective. The project has been prepared in cooperation with Karelia University of Applied Sciences, Construction Industry RT Eastern Finland, Business Joensuu and companies in the field. It has been designed using the experience and accumulated know-how of existing and completed construction projects in Karelia. The concrete activities of the project are divided into four different work packages: (1) Low-carbon processes, (2) Low carbon materials, products and systems, (3) Digital site and (4) Knowledge transfer, communication and stakeholder cooperation. All measures to be carried out in the project are described in the form of case descriptions and studies. In addition, workshops and webinars will be organised for target groups as part of the knowledge transfer measures.The construction industry will receive concrete tools to develop and improve their own operations, especially from the point of view of reducing emissions. At the same time, the capacity of these actors to introduce new regulations on low-carbon construction and changes in activity towards carbon neutrality will be increased. All the measures taken in the project are aimed at the development of the regional regional economy and the growth of construction enterprises. As a result of the project, the operation of regional construction value networks and the development of the competitiveness of the construction industry will be further strengthened. The project supports regional economic programmes and implements a provincial climate and energy programme with the aim of reducing emissions from construction.The project “Green Transition of Construction of the University of Applied Sciences” and the “Green Transition of Housing” project form a pair of projects that aim to respond to the lower carbonisation of construction and housing at the level of the province of North Karelia.