COP26 – the UN Climate Change Conference taking place in Glasgow from 31 October to 12 November 2021 – will be focusing on the built environment for this year’s 26th edition. Virtual exhibition ‘Build Better Now’, taking place during the event, will consider how buildings and cities can respond to the climate emergency with sustainable architecture.
To encourage the evolving role of the built environment, the exhibition has announced a shortlist of 17 exciting projects around the globe, which are rethinking the possiblities of sustainable building, following an open call in June 2021. The projects, which consider everything from climate mitigation to the possibilities inherent in natural resources, are rethinking the role of the built environment; ultimately, they aim to reduce the impact buildings have on global energy-related carbon emissions, which currently stands at an alarming 40 per cent.
Sara Cultural Centre Sweden. Photography: Patrick Degerman
Projects were chosen by an international judging panel that considered the positive impact the projects are making on both a local and an international level. An eclectic range of buildings made the shortlist, from an energy-positive office building in Norway which distributes leftover renewable energy to its neighbours as well as powering electric buses, to a building in the UK, which weaves natural local materials thatch and reed into its design.
In the beautiful Scottish Highlands, locally extinct species are reintroduced into 100 acres of land; in Italy, a district is entirely powered by renewable energy sources. The tallest timber building in the world is to be found in Sweden, and the first 3D-printed sustainable homes made from raw clay, in Indonesia.
‘With COP26 in November, the world is ready to tackle climate change, and the built environment has a crucial part to play,’ says Julie Hirigoyen, chief executive at the UK Green Building Council. ‘We know why we must accelerate climate action and “Build Better Now” shows how we can get there. 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.’
Singita Kwitonda Lodge, Rwanda. Photography: Adriaan Louw
The Natural Capital Laboratory, Scotland, UK. Photography: Chris Coupland
INFORMATION
-
One to Watch: designer Valerie Name infuses contemporary objects and spaces with historical detailFrom vessels to furnishings and interiors, New York- and Athens-based designer Valerie Name finds new relevance for age-old craft techniques
-
Cora Sheibani celebrates unexpected diamond cuts in a new jewellery collectionCora Sheibani's latest collection, ‘Facets and Forms’, marries her love of history and science
-
Meet Kenia Almaraz Murillo, the artist rethinking weavingKenia Almaraz Murillo draws on the new and the traditional in her exhibition 'Andean Cosmovision' at London's Waddington Custot
-
Explore wood architecture, Paris' new timber tower and how to make sustainable construction look ‘iconic’A new timber tower brings wood architecture into sharp focus in Paris and highlights ways to craft buildings that are both sustainable and look great: we spoke to project architects LAN, and explore the genre through further examples
-
Building with bamboo: In Bali, designer, Elora Hardy, shares her tips and experienceBamboo architecture can be powerful and sustainable; here, we talk to Ibuku's Elora Hardy, who shares her tips, thoughts and experience in working with the material in Bali
-
Hermitage Mews is a net-zero family of homes in London’s Crystal PalaceHermitage Mews by Gbolade Design Studio is a sustainable residential complex in south London's Crystal Palace, conceived to be green and contextual
-
Sustainable architecture: 43 innovative and inspiring building designsThis is sustainable architecture at its best: from amazing abodes to centres of care and hard-working offices, these buildings not only look good but also do good
-
Slot House sets a high bar for sustainable architecture in UtahSlot House, an energy-efficient mountain retreat in Utah, by local practice Klima Architecture, sets the bar high
-
Spruce house offers a minimalist take on sustainable architectureSpruce House, London practice Ao-ft’s debut project, is a carefully crafted timber house that perfectly slots into its urban landscape
-
Material Cultures workshops support shift towards sustainable building practicesMaterial Cultures workshops explore new approaches to promote sustainability in the construction industry
-
London's Exchange House gets a sustainable revampLondon's iconic Exchange House in Broadgate has been transformed for the 21st century by Piercy&Company
