2025 GlobalABC Annual Assembly, 7th April, 16:15-17:30 CET 

(NEW) B4.1 "Research", facilitated by UNU-FLORES (Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and Resources).

With participation of Higher Education Institutions Action Group, Sufficiency Hub, and Data Hub.

To gather your input for this session, we invite you to complete a questionnaire designed to gather insights from practitioners involved in building design, construction, and operation.
Your feedback will be collected via a Google Form until March 31st 2025.

Overall Session Description: The global building sector is a significant contributor to energy consumption, carbon emissions, and waste generation, making up a substantial portion of the world's environmental footprint. As nations strive to meet international sustainability targets, the urgent need to adopt innovative practices and cutting-edge technologies becomes increasingly clear. Such advancements promise not only to curb environmental degradation but also to deliver significant reductions in operational costs. Yet, the path to a sustainable building sector is fraught with obstacles, including limited access to actionable data, underdeveloped technologies, and insufficient collaboration between key stakeholders.

The Buildings Breakthrough framework is a global effort designed to drive the transition to sustainable, resilient, and energy-efficient buildings by connecting and expanding the existing efforts and initiatives in the field. To realize this transformation, it is critical to identify and address key research gaps, align global priorities, and facilitate collaboration between governments, industries, and research communities. This collective effort will help overcome existing obstacles and catalyze the widespread adoption of sustainable building solutions. Underpinning this vision is The Living Art of Building, a comprehensive approach that integrates sustainable practices, advanced technologies, and interdisciplinary research into all aspects of building design, construction, and operation. By focusing on these core principles, this framework will lay the groundwork for future initiatives, providing essential guidance for the B4 Priority Action Research phase of the Breakthrough Agenda.

This priority action aims to advance global research efforts in the building sector by fostering collaboration, identifying research priorities, and enabling the deployment of sustainable solutions. The key objectives are:

• Identifying Research Priorities and Gaps – Assess current and future research needs to support the transition to sustainable, resilient, low-carbon buildings and the decarbonization of the built environment.
• Strengthening Research Networks – Establish a collaborative research network involving academia, policymakers, and industry experts, with a strong focus on engaging emerging markets and developing economies. This includes the formation of a B4 Research network to oversee coordination and collaboration.
• Connecting with Existing Initiatives – Leverage established research platforms such as the International Energy Agency's (IEA) Energy in Buildings and Communities (EBC) program (www.iea-ebc.org), relevant HEI (Higher Education Institutions) Action Group (AG), and other efforts to align priorities and prevent duplication of efforts.
• Enabling Applied Research – Foster collaboration between researchers and industry stakeholders to create an environment that supports applied research and the deployment of sustainable building solutions. Develop an ecosystem where practical and scalable solutions can be tested, refined, and implemented effectively.