Format: VIP, invitation-only C-level convening; keynotes, moderated panels and innovator case studies
In collaboration with: GlobalABC (secretariat hosted by UNEP) and RICS
Host: Sustainable Real Estate Forum (SREF)
About the Forum
The Sustainable Real Estate Forum is the leading events and thought leadership ecosystem for sustainable real estate investment, where institutional investors and LPs, asset managers and GPs, policymakers and innovators come together to share intelligence, debate ideas and drive the sector forward through validated case studies, whitepapers, events and global sponsorship.
Event Overview
By invitation only, SREF convenes an exclusive gathering of the sustainable real estate world at Climate Week NYC 2026, in collaboration with GlobalABC and RICS. Day 1, at the Chrysler Building, opens with a keynote from Banu Aslan (COP31 Presidency) and the launch of Blend Better Cement, a UNEP-hosted ICBC initiative with Systemiq, Climate Group and the LC3 Project, to scale blended cement adoption. The day also asks what 'triple-A' now means as certified buildings pull ahead on rent and occupancy, and what it will take to turn America's housing capital surplus into fundable, bankable pipelines. This is followed by The Trillion Dollar Housing Transition panel with focus on implementation of Belem Call for Action for Sustainable and Affordable Housing.
Day 2, at Schroders' NY office, opens with a keynote from Roland Hunziker (GlobalABC Co-Chair; Director of Built Environment, WBCSD), then asks why LPs, who provide 65-75% of private real estate equity capital, remain the quietest voice in the room, before turning to how AI-driven power demand is reshaping where real estate value and capital allocation will sit next.
Day 1 theme: Capital Under Pressure — what gets funded, what gets discounted, and why waiting is no longer neutral.
Day 2 theme: The Investable Transition — housing, power and the next U.S. real estate cycle.
Event Objectives
Formally launch Blend Better Cement, implementing the ICBC Call to Action on Blended Cement and moving blended cement from proven demonstration to global market-wide adoption.
Define what 'triple-A' now means in practice, bringing landlords, investors and building-performance technology together to examine the rent, occupancy and refinancing divide between certified and uncertified stock.
Identify what must change in underwriting, affordability, delivery and governance to convert U.S. housing and retrofit need into investment-grade, financeable pipelines.
Surface why LPs, who provide 65–75% of global private real estate equity capital, remain the quietest voice in manager relationships, and test whether that is beginning to change.
Frame AI-driven power demand as a real estate and capital-allocation question, testing where value will accrue and which projects are not yet investable.
Convene senior government, institutional and industry leaders in a single VIP programme to accelerate cross-industry collaboration on the sustainable real estate transition.
Target Audience
Ministers and senior government officials responsible for industry, infrastructure, construction, climate, housing and public procurement
ICBC members and co-chairs; COP Presidency and Breakthrough Agenda representatives
Cement, concrete and construction companies; international organisations and technical partners
Global asset and investment managers from leading real estate firms, and institutional LPs
Real estate operators, developers, proptech innovators, legal and advisory partners
Day One — Tuesday 22 September · Capital Under Pressure
What gets funded, what gets discounted — and why waiting is no longer neutral.
Time | Session |
14:00 | Networking Coffee & Registration |
14:30 | Keynote Speech: Ambassador Antônio Francisco Da Costa e Silva Neto, Co-Chair, Intergovernmental Council for Buildings and Climate (ICBC); Chief International Advisor, Ministry of Cities, Brazil |
14:40 | Global Launch of 'Blend Better Cement' |
15:30 | Networking Drinks |
16:00 | Panel: Occupied, Certified, Refinanced — What Triple-A Means Now |
16:40 | World Leading Innovator Speeches |
17:00 | Panel: The Trillion Dollar Housing Transition |
17:40 | Networking Drinks |
18:00 | Close |
Day Two — Wednesday 23 September · The Investable Transition
Housing, power and the next U.S. real estate cycle.
Time | Session |
14:00 | Networking Coffee & Registration |
14:15 | Keynote Speech: Roland Hunziker, GlobalABC Co-Chair and Director of Built Environment, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) |
14:30 | Panel: Silent Capital, Loud Consequences |
15:10 | Short Break |
15:30 | Panel: Powering the Next Real Estate Cycle |
16:10 | Special Intervention: Ambassador Antônio Francisco Da Costa e Silva Neto, Co-Chair, Intergovernmental Council for Buildings and Climate (ICBC); Chief International Advisor, Ministry of Cities, Brazil |
16:20 | Networking Drinks |
18:00 | Close |
Session Summaries
Global Launch of 'Blend Better Cement'
Tuesday 22 September, 14:40 · The Chrysler Building
Cement and concrete are indispensable to urbanisation, housing and infrastructure, yet production accounts for roughly 8% of global CO2 emissions, more than aviation and shipping combined. Blending cement can cut emissions per tonne by up to 70%, using materials and techniques that are decades-proven rather than emerging technology. Following the Declaration de Chaillot at COP30, the ICBC Call to Action on Blended Cement has already been acknowledged by eight countries across Europe, Africa and Asia.
This session formally launches Blend Better Cement, a UNEP-hosted ICBC initiative delivered with Systemiq, Climate Group and the LC3 Project, bringing together government and industry leaders to move blended cement from proven demonstration to global market-wide adoption ahead of COP31 and COP32.
Panel: Occupied, Certified, Refinanced — What Triple-A Means Now
Tuesday 22 September, 16:00-16:40 · The Chrysler Building
Certified, amenity-rich, low-carbon buildings are commanding rent premiums and near-full occupancy. Older, uncertified stock is struggling to fill space or refinance. This session brings landlords, investors and building-performance technology together to define what 'triple-A' now means in practice, and to test whether a single, shared definition of it is even possible across markets.
The central question is not whether certification pays. It is whether the market yet has a shared, defensible definition of what 'triple-A' actually requires.
Name | Title | Organisation |
Nikki Greenberg (Moderator) | Global Keynote Speaker | Real Estate of the Future |
Hyon Rah | Head of Sustainability, Real Estate Americas | DWS |
Paul Rode | Head of US Engineering | Tishman Speyer |
Jonathan Gritz | Senior Vice President | WellStat |
Emily Kildow | VP, Director of Sustainability | SL Green Realty Corp |
Jonathan Kaufman Iger | CEO & President | Sage |
Panel: The Trillion Dollar Housing Transition
Tuesday 22 September, 17:00-17:40 · The Chrysler Building
The capital for the global housing transition exists. The problem is not capital: it is the absence of underwriteable decisions. Decarbonising European residential real estate alone is estimated to exceed EUR 1 trillion by 2030. This session brings together finance, technology, policy and legal perspectives to examine the real constraints on turning housing and retrofit need into deals capital will actually fund.
The central question is not whether capital is available. It is whether the market can produce decisions that capital can defend.
Name | Title | Organisation |
Nikki Greenberg (Moderator) | Global Keynote Speaker | Real Estate of the Future |
Jeff Rupp | Director, Public Affairs | INREV |
Layalee Ramahi | Head, UNEP Finance Initiative | UNEP FI |
Nico Dehnert | Co-Founder and CCO | Optiml |
Will Land | Associate | Jones Day |
Roland Hunziker | Director, Built Environment; Co-Chair, GlobalABC | WBCSD |
Panel: Silent Capital, Loud Consequences
Wednesday 23 September, 14:30-15:10 · Schroders NY Office
LPs provide roughly 65-75% of global private real estate equity capital and carry much of the financial and reputational risk, yet target allocations to real estate declined for the first time in 13 years. This session shows that institutional capital is not retreating from real estate uniformly, it is becoming more selective, and LPs are the largest but quietest stakeholder in that shift.
The panel's premise: real estate is not under pressure. Decision-making in real estate is.
Name | Title | Organisation |
Brad Dockser (Moderator) | CEO and Co-Founder | GreenGen |
Jeff Rupp | Director, Public Affairs | INREV |
Vincent Vanbijleveld | Managing Director | GREEN - Global Real Estate Engagement Network |
Evan Petkov | CEO and Co-Founder | Optiml |
Harry Mills | Built Environment Activation Group Lead | Climate Champions |
Panel: Powering the Next Real Estate Cycle
Wednesday 23 September, 15:30-16:10 · Schroders NY Office
AI has become both an operating-model issue and a physical real-estate demand cycle. The IEA's updated 2026 outlook puts global data-centre electricity consumption at 485 TWh in 2025, rising to roughly 950 TWh by 2030. This session frames AI-driven power demand as a real-estate and capital-allocation story, testing where value will accrue and which projects remain non-investable because power, water, planning or community constraints cannot be resolved.
The question for the room is not whether AI infrastructure is real. It is which parts of it are actually energised, resilient, insurable and financeable, and on what terms.
Name | Title | Organisation |
Layalee Ramahi (Moderator) | North America Regional Lead | UNEP FI |
Tamas Mark | Global Head of Real Assets | IQ-EQ |
Hyon Rah | Head of Sustainability, Real Estate Americas | DWS |
Paul Bratten | Head of US Real Estate Debt Investments, Securitized Product & Asset-based Finance | Schroders |
Special Intervention: Ambassador Antônio Francisco Da Costa e Silva Neto
Wednesday 23 September, 16:10-16:20 · Schroders NY Office
Ambassador Da Costa e Silva Neto, Co-Chair of the Intergovernmental Council for Buildings and Climate (ICBC) and Chief International Advisor at Brazil's Ministry of Cities, closes Day 2 with a special intervention on affordable housing, climate policy and intergovernmental cooperation.
Collaborators, Sponsors & Panelists Organisations
In Collaboration With
GlobalABC (secretariat hosted by UNEP), RICS
Sponsors
Gigaton, WellStat, Optiml, Schroders
Speakers and Panellist Organisations
INREV, IQ-EQ, Tishman Speyer, Sage, SL Green Realty Corp, GreenGen, GREEN Global Real Estate Engagement Network, Systemiq, Climate Group's ConcreteZero, UNEP, UNEP FI, WBCSD, Jones Day, DWS, Climate Champions, LC3 Project, COP31 Türkiye Presidency, Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change
Logistics
Day 1 Venue: The Chrysler Building, 405 Lexington Avenue, 27th Floor, New York, NY 10174, United States
Day 2 Venue: Schroders NY Office, 7 Bryant Park, 19th Floor, New York, NY 10018, United States
Contact
For more information or enquiries about the event, please contact Marcus Soulsby ([email protected]) or Peter Panayi ([email protected]).
