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Industry joins forces to launch Built Environment Virtual Pavilion for COP26

The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has announced a coalition of almost 100 partner organisations across the built environment sector who will support the delivery of a Built Environment Virtual Pavilion, ahead of the UN’s COP26 Climate Summit scheduled to take place in Glasgow this November.

To enable maximum participation, regardless of the status of the physical Summit, UKGBC is acting as secretariat to a huge number of organisations who have joined forces to establish a smart virtual presence, which aims to give the sector a voice at COP26, and generate a reach and legacy that can stretch beyond COP itself.

The Virtual Pavilion will comprise an exhibition of global exemplar projects and places, within a bespoke virtual reality (VR) space, as well as a major series of events and downloadable content – to include keynotes, panel discussions and more. Partners will shortly launch an open call for a creative and innovative virtual centrepiece for the Pavilion, with a detailed brief expected to be formally announced within the next few weeks.

At least 30 ‘Delivery Partners’ are working together to support the initiative, consisting of non-profits, trade bodies, government agencies and professional institutions from across the built environment. Delivery Partners include:

Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE)
Active Building Centre
Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP)
Better Buildings Partnership (BBP)
British Property Federation  (BPF)
BRE
Building Centre
Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT)
Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE)
Commercial Real Estate Finance Council (CREFC) Europe
Construction Innovation Hub
Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT)
Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL)
Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC)
Core Cities UK
Environmental Industries Commission (EIC)
European Public Real Estate Association (EPRA)
Existing Homes Alliance Scotland
Federation of Master Builders (FMB)
Green Finance Institute (GFI)
Good Homes Alliance (GHA)
The Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE)
Landscape Institute
National Infrastructure Commission (NIC)
New London Architecture (NLA)
ReLondon
Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
Transforming Construction
University of Edinburgh
UK Green Building Council
World Green Building Council

The Virtual Pavilion has been made possible thanks to the generous financial support of the project’s Commercial Partners:

Active Building Centre 
AECOM 
AkzoNobel 
Allsop 
Arcadis 
Argent LLP 
Argent Related 
Arup 
Assura 
BAM
BECG 
Berkeley Group 
BNP Paribas 
British Land 
Bruntwood 
Building Centre 
Buro Happold 
Bywater Properties 
Carbon Intelligence 
CBRE 
CFP Green Buildings 
Cundall 
Dorrington 
Ecology Building Society 
ENGIE Impact UK
Federated Hermes 
Frogmore 
Grainger 
Great Portland Estates 
Grosvenor
Halliday Fraser Munro 
Hoare Lea 
Hollis 
The Howard de Walden Estate 
Hydrock 
Integrated Environmental Solutions (IES)
ISG 
JLL 
Lendlease 
Lloyds Bank 
Low Carbon Alliance 
Make Architects 
MCS Certified 
Mott MacDonald 
Oxford Properties 
Pinsent Masons 
Ramboll 
ROCKWOOL 
SEGRO 
Shoosmiths 
Skanska UK 
The Crown Estate 
Troup Bywaters + Anders 
Turley 
Turner & Townsend 

Julie Hirigoyen, Chief Executive at UKGBC:

“The eyes of the world will be on COP26, for what must be a key milestone moment – a historic turning point in our battle against climate change. It is an opportunity for nations, cities, businesses and civil society to demonstrate that the Paris Agreement is effective, momentum is unstoppable and – perhaps above all else – we are moving from targets to action.

“The built environment is fundamental to many of the themes of COP26. It has a critical role to play in mitigating climate change, responsible for 39% of energy related CO2 emissions and is central to building resilience against climatic extremes too late to avoid, through nature-based solutions. It is key, also, to the aspiration of building back better after COVID.

“I’m delighted that the built environment sector is coming together to work in an unprecedented collaboration, for what promises to be a truly unique virtual experience. This will enable widespread access and engagement with built environment issues at COP26 that will complement whatever activities are able to happen in person, and provide an online legacy that will last far beyond November.”

Read original release here.

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