The Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction (Buildings-GSR), a report published by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC), provides an annual snapshot of the progress of the buildings and construction sector on a global scale. The Buildings-GSR reviews the status of policies, finance, technologies, and solutions to monitor whether the sector is aligned with the Paris Agreement goals. It also provides stakeholders with evidence to persuade policymakers and the overall buildings and construction community to take action. As outlined in this edition, the buildings and construction sector contributes significantly to global climate change, accounting for about 21 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. In 2022, buildings were responsible for 34 per cent global energy demand and 37 per cent of energy and process-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The 2022 update of the Global Buildings Climate Tracker (GBCT) paints a concerning picture: the gap between the current state and the desired decarbonisation path is significant. To align with the 2030 milestone, an annual increase of ten decarbonisation points is now required, a substantial jump from the six points anticipated per year starting in 2015. This year, the deep dive chapters are the following: Adaptation and resilient construction methods; Innovations in business cases as well as Nature-based solutions and biophilic design.
Sustainable construction is entering a more demanding phase as climate resilience shifts from voluntary reporting to boardroom risk management. Developers, contractors and asset owners are under growing pressure to treat flood risk, heat stress, grid capacity and adaptation as core investment criteria. Whole life carbon, embodied carbon and life cycle cost are becoming central to procurement, planning and asset valuation, not optional metrics for sustainability reports.
The direction of European policy reinforces this shift. Ursula von der Leyen’s warning that prosperity will be shaped by climate action and AI points to stronger clean-tech and digital measures, with direct implications for sustainable building design, energy-efficient buildings and net zero carbon buildings. Analysis from Ember on smarter, more flexible energy systems strengthens the case for buildings as active grid assets. Low carbon design, demand optimisation and building lifecycle performance are becoming essential to decarbonising the built environment.
In the UK, official advice that Heathrow expansion would conflict with climate targets unless sustainable aviation fuel and greenhouse-gas removals scale materially sends a wider signal to infrastructure and construction. Carbon-intensive development will face closer scrutiny, with stronger expectations for credible mitigation, whole life carbon assessment and transparent lifecycle assessment. The embodied carbon in materials, the carbon footprint of construction and the use of low embodied carbon materials are likely to carry greater weight in planning consent, funding decisions and supply-chain evaluation.
The government’s post-Grenfell fire-safety update underlines a critical point for green construction: retrofit, insulation, renewable building materials and innovative green building products must meet stricter safety expectations. Sustainable architecture cannot advance through performance claims alone. Eco-design for buildings, sustainable material specification and environmental product declarations (EPDs) will need to support both safety and environmental sustainability in construction.
The market signal is clear. Sustainable construction is moving towards net zero whole life carbon, circular economy principles and resource efficiency in construction. Circular economy in construction, end-of-life reuse in construction and circular construction strategies are becoming practical routes to carbon footprint reduction and lower environmental impact of construction. BREEAM, BREEAM V7 and comparable frameworks are likely to gain importance as clients seek evidence-based standards for low carbon building, green infrastructure and sustainable urban development. Sustainability is no longer a decorative label for construction; it is becoming the specification for resilient, investable and compliant assets.
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