Abstract
Public private partnerships operating buildings over long time are challenged by internal and external competing logics including sustainability. So can public private partnership (PPP) contracts adapt to and keep pace with the continual sharpening of emissions demands emerging in society? The empirical context of Denmark and institutional theory is used. The case study shows how it is possible to largely decouple a single building from sustainability demands. However, a recoupling occurs when the private owner chooses to enter a market-based sustainability certification halfway through the contract period. By 2025 the building is therefore entering contemporary demands for sustainability in society, such as compliance to planetary boundaries. This finding is illustrative of the current and future need to upgrade sustainability of existing buildings in operation.