On October 31, the U.K. organization Build Better Now will launch the COP26 Built Environment Virtual Pavilion to coincide with the UN’s COP26 climate conference, happening in Glasgow from October 31-November 12.
This free and open virtual reality exhibition will highlight 17 cutting-edge sustainable building projects from around the world. The buildings were chosen by an international panel of green building industry experts.
Projects were selected for their ability to problem-solve for sustainability issues at local and regional levels, but were also chosen for their potential to be both scalable and replicable across the globe.
What to Look Forward To
Audiences will get a virtual look inside projects focused on innovative solutions in areas such as renewable energy, local, natural building materials, rewilding and nature regeneration, a circular economy, climate mitigation and more.
Highlights to look forward to include:
- The world’s first 3-D printed homes made entirely from raw clay
- An energy-positive office building in Trondheim, Norway that generates enough renewable energy to power neighbouring buildings and electric buses
- A rewilding project that’s reintroducing locally extinct species back to the Scottish Highlands
- An urban eco-village in a São Paulo slum that generates its own renewable electricity, converts organic waste into cooking gas and offers low-income residents free water heating and electricity
Chief Executive at the UK Green Building Council Julie Hirigoyen says:
“Everyone on the planet has a stake in our buildings and cities. I invite everyone to take inspiration from Build Better Now as a global showcase of pioneering solutions to climate change and hope that it supports the industry to create more sustainable buildings, places and cities of the future.”
There’s also a free, global event series that will parallel the official COP26 program. Included in the series are webinars, talks and panel discussions focused on the built environment. You can find the full schedule of events here. Note that all events are scheduled in Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
Image credit: Lyndsayclose
