Our Communications

There are so many exciting initiatives and achievements delivered by Green Building Councils and Regional Networks that it can be hard to stay on top of them all! Here you will find the latest news and media related to the Europe Regional Network and its Green Building Councils.

Media

European cities commit to net zero buildings

Wed, 4th Dec 2019

Today leading European cities and companies pledged to slash carbon emissions from their buildings to net zero. Helsinki, Finland and Valladolid, Spain have signed WorldGBC's Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment, alongside property sector leaders BuroHappold, Carbon Credentials, Deerns, Grimshaw Architects, Grosvenor Group, Newsec Finland and Ylva.

ÖGNI Position Paper: Social Sustainability

Fri, 1st Nov 2019

In cooperation with an expert group, the ÖGNI (Austrian Sustainable Building Council) has defined standards for measuring the social sustainability of buildings and identifies three focal points: Holistic view of the neighborhood, operation of buildings and flexibility.

ÖGNI Position Paper: Benchmarks in Operation

Fri, 1st Nov 2019

The ÖGNI Position Paper: Benchmarks in Operation outlines how sustainability can only be achieved through sensible, efficient building operation; and proves that sustainability and efficient operation go hand in hand.

ÖGNI Position Paper: Smart Cities

Fri, 1st Nov 2019

Although the term "Smart City" is widely used, a clear definition is still missing. This ÖGNI position paper aims to clarify ÖGNI's position on Smart Cities, make the term Smart Cities more specific for urban development stakeholders, support and guide urban developers in their attempts to implement the Smart City concept and develop a basis for the certification of Smart Cities.

Built environment stakeholders recommend integration of whole life carbon criteria into European policy

Tue, 8th Oct 2019

Today a coalition of over 30 organisations working in the buildings and construction sector have signed an open letter to the European Commission outlining their view on the transformative potential that the Level(s) framework can play in mainstreaming sustainable buildings and deliver on key European environmental, economic and social goals.

Will a common vision for the global building sector make the world more sustainable?

Thu, 26th Sep 2019

A roadmap for the building and construction sector in Norway to achieve a common vision of zero emissions and a full circular economy in 2050 has sparked action to address both operational and embodied carbon emissions from buildings.

WorldGBC Europe publishes advocacy manifesto urging decision makers to recognise vital role of built environment sector in delivering a climate neutral Europe

Thu, 27th Jun 2019

Over 20 countries from WorldGBC's Europe Regional Network have published a manifesto, A Sustainable Built Environment at the Heart of Europe’s Future urging decision makers to recognise the vital role that the built environment sector plays in delivering a climate neutral Europe.

Creating an Energy Efficient Mortgage for Europe: The Supporting Role of the Green Building Sector

Wed, 19th Jun 2019

The report Creating an Energy Efficient Mortgage for Europe: The Supporting Role of the Green Building Sector sets out a roadmap to grow the market for green mortgages - with the potential to transform millions of buildings across Europe.

Collaboration, Consensus & Change: Three C’s for Circularity

Thu, 13th Jun 2019

WorldGBC Europe's Head of Projects Stephen Richardson demystifies how to achieve circularity in the built environment and outlines how European Green Building Councils are taking measures to close the loop for buildings and construction.

Wake up, air ranger! How citizens can catalyse government action on air pollution

Wed, 12th Jun 2019

Dutch Green Building Council's Jan Kadijk outlines how citizen 'air rangers' can take action on air pollution by measuring their local air quality, prompting governments to enact policies to tackle air quality - and the opportunity this presents for Green Building Councils.

BUILD UPON2 - Boosting low carbon building renovation across Europe

Thu, 23rd May 2019

In conjunction with the URBAN FUTURE Global Conference in Oslo, the World Green Building Council and partners announce BUILD UPON² - a project that will accelerate the renovation of existing buildings in European cities.

UK Green Building Council presents industry framework for net zero carbon buildings

Tue, 30th Apr 2019

Under the global Advancing Net Zero program, UKGBC has developed a framework definition for net zero carbon buildings to provide industry with clarity on how to achieve net zero carbon in construction and operation.

WorldGBC urges pragmatic approach to EU taxonomy

Tue, 5th Mar 2019

On 22 February, WorldGBC Europe responded to a consultation from the technical expert group on sustainable finance (TEG) on the development of the 'taxonomy' - an EU-wide classification system for environmentally sustainable economic activities.

Ramboll brings leading sustainable design expertise to World Green Building Council's Europe Network

Thu, 21st Feb 2019

Ramboll has entered into a new partnership with the World Green Building Council’s Europe Network as its first engineering partner, to collaborate on driving sustainability and innovation across Europe’s building sector.

Green Building Councils urge European Commission to recognise unparalleled potential of the built environment sector in delivering a climate neutral Europe

Wed, 12th Dec 2018

Today, as European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, Miguel Arias Cañete outlines the European Commission’s vision for a climate neutral Europe at COP24, over 20 countries from WorldGBC's Europe Regional Network have signed an open letter urging the European Commission to recognise the vital role of the built environment sector in delivering this vision.

COP24: Time to address the building and construction sector’s total emissions impact

Thu, 6th Dec 2018

As nations all over the globe tackle operational emissions from buildings, we must challenge ourselves to address our sector’s total emissions impact if we are to deliver a truly net zero carbon building stock. COP24 must mark the beginning of a major global campaign to take on this challenge - one on which Europe must lead the world.

Green Building Council Iceland joins World Green Building Council network

Thu, 1st Nov 2018

This week, Green Building Council Iceland became the newest member of the World Green Building Council, joining at the Prospective level of membership.

How to Make Money from Climate-Proofing Your Property

Thu, 27th Sep 2018

In this exclusive blog for World Green Building Week 2018, WorldGBC's James Drinkwater and Judit Kimpian of the Architects Council of Europe explain how ‘green mortgages’ and value adding extensions could be a winning combination.

New Report Sets Out How Mortgage Lenders Can Protect Borrowers from the Financial Risks of Climate Change

Mon, 24th Sep 2018

Today, WorldGBC launched a new report setting out a vision for how mortgage lenders and borrowers can come together to help tackle climate change by improving millions of properties across Europe. The report calls on lenders, industry and government to grow a new mass market for energy efficient mortgages and make them available to every borrower on the continent.

Workplace transformation: How Polish GBC is inspiring a nation of green & healthy offices

Thu, 9th Aug 2018

Polish GBC’s latest research proves the indisputable link between buildings and their users’ health, productivity and wellbeing, helping strengthen the business case for green and healthy offices - and Poland is now listening, blogs Alicja Kuczera.

Major European banks launch new green mortgage scheme

Thu, 14th Jun 2018

Today, the (WorldGBC) Europe network and 37 major European banks launched a new energy efficiency mortgage pilot scheme, marking a major signal from investors that green building is a key growth market for Europe.

How one pilot project could inspire a green building revolution

Wed, 23rd May 2018

Knauf Insulation Experience Center in Slovenia was selected to participate in the testing phase for Level(s); Knauf's Laura Croze blogs on how this pilot project could spearhead a new green building revolution in Europe.

Level(s) Testing Phase - Everything You Need to Know!

Thu, 3rd May 2018

Audrey Nugent, Senior Policy Advisor of the Europe Regional Network, outlines the stages of the Level(s) testing phase, a new framework that is set to transform the European building market.

Norwegian Green Building Council and Green Building Alliance to become joint organisation

Mon, 23rd Apr 2018

Norwegian Green Building Council and Green Building Alliance have announced they will merge into a joint organisation with effect from 1 July 2018 in move to create a stronger, more robust organisation.

WorldGBC’s BUILD UPON helps put renovation at heart of new EU energy policy

Tue, 6th Feb 2018

WorldGBC's BUILD UPON project scored a major win last week when Europe committed to put national renovation strategies at the heart of efforts to tackle climate change – a key recommendation from the project.

EU considering changes to banking rules to reward consumers for choosing greener buildings

Fri, 5th Jan 2018

Efforts to cut emissions from Europe’s building stock received a boost as the European Commission said it was considering lowering capital requirements for banks to help reward consumers investing in energy efficient buildings.

European Green Building Councils urge Europe not to ignore its renovation potential

Thu, 30th Nov 2017

Green Building Councils from across Europe are urging their governments to champion strong EU policy – particularly around building renovation - that helps to deliver on global climate change goals.

New reports set out actions for how green mortgages can meet EU climate & building renovation goals

Thu, 26th Oct 2017

A series of new reports published today set out the actions needed to ensure mortgage lending can support the EU’s climate and building renovation goals.

Green Building Councils forge new path on energy efficient mortgages

Tue, 17th Oct 2017

Ten Green Building Councils from Europe met in London today ahead of the publication of new research strengthening the case for energy efficient mortgages.

European green building policy takes key step forward as MEPs vote for strong ambition

Thu, 12th Oct 2017

Members of the European Parliament yesterday voted for stronger ambition on the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, ahead of negotiating talks with the European Council.

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development releases new publication on investing in green buildings

Fri, 29th Sep 2017

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has today released a set of new publications on its Green Economy Transition investments in buildings for World Green Building Week.

How EBRD is sparking a green economic transition

Fri, 29th Sep 2017

In this blog for World Green Building Week, James Drinkwater of WorldGBC's Europe Regional Network explains why leaders like the EBRD are open for business on investing in green buildings.

Introducing Level(s): A common language to understand sustainability in European buildings

Thu, 28th Sep 2017

Audrey Nugent, Senior Policy Advisor of the Europe Regional Network, blogs on how the European Commission's new tool Level(s) could transform the European building market.

European Commission releases first EU-wide tool for sustainable building performance reporting during World Green Building Week

Thu, 28th Sep 2017

The European Commission has today launched the pilot phase of ‘Level(s)’, a new EU framework for sustainable buildings, which will help transform the building sector.

What are green mortgages & how will they revolutionise home energy efficiency?

Mon, 4th Sep 2017

In this Q&A, Stephen Richardson,Technical Lead for Energy Efficiency Mortgages, discusses the principles of green mortgages and how they are key to meeting climate change targets.

BUILD UPON project cited in Forbes as example of large scale transformation

Wed, 16th Aug 2017

WorldGBC’s BUILD UPON project has been cited in a recent Forbes article as an example of large-scale societal transformation, alongside disruptive platform businesses such as Airbnb and Uber.

Homebuyers could borrow more with better forecasting of energy bills, says new research project involving UK-GBC

Tue, 18th Jul 2017

More accurate assessments of home energy bills by mortgage lenders could vary loans by up to £11,500 between the most energy efficient properties and the most energy hungry homes, according to a new research.

Major banks & building experts build bridges in Rome to create energy efficiency mortgage

Fri, 9th Jun 2017

More than 100 experts from European banks, Green Building Councils and other organisations meet in Rome today to kick start the Energy Efficient Mortgages Action Plan (EeMAP) project.

Notes from the Networks - Tackling the big issues to build a better Europe

Thu, 11th May 2017

Our recent meeting of European Green Building Councils and Regional Partners in Dublin, Ireland, was European cooperation at its best, blogs WorldGBC's James Drinkwater.

GBC Finland & WorldGBC gather experts to implement new EU building policy

Tue, 9th May 2017

GBC Finland and WorldGBC gathered a group of expert and influential organisations today to begin the important task of implementing a new EU policy on sustainable buildings.

European Commission & WorldGBC’s Europe Regional Network discuss future of sustainable building in Europe

Tue, 11th Apr 2017

Green Building Councils and Partners from WorldGBC’s Europe Regional Network met with the European Commission to discuss a key piece of EU policy.

European countries finalise renovation plans with support of BUILD UPON project

Wed, 1st Mar 2017

European countries are finalising strategies on how to renovate their existing buildings, as WorldGBC's BUILD UPON project successfully concludes a campaign of over 100 events.

ASSA ABLOY becomes Partner of World Green Building Council's Europe Regional Network

Thu, 26th Jan 2017

ASSA ABLOY has become an official Regional Partner of the World Green Building Council’s Europe Regional Network.

Stora Enso becomes Partner of World Green Building Council's Europe Regional Network

Mon, 16th Jan 2017

Stora Enso’s division Wood Products has today become an official Regional Partner of the World Green Building Council’s Europe Regional Network.

WorldGBC welcomes three new member Green Building Councils

Thu, 15th Dec 2016

The World Green Building Council is delighted that three new Green Building Councils have joined the organisation – taking our total number of member Green Building Councils up to 74.

When is a building 'circular'?

Thu, 6th Oct 2016

If you thought this was a good example of a 'circular' building, you've got a lot of catching up to do, and now is the perfect time to start…

European Commission Vice President announced as Patron for World Green Building Week in Europe

Mon, 26th Sep 2016

Maroš Šefčovič, the Vice President of the European Commission, has been announced as the patron for World Green Building Week 2016 in Europe.

BASF becomes official Partner of Europe Regional Network

Mon, 9th May 2016

BASF has today become an official Regional Partner of the WorldGBC’s Europe Regional Network.

European countries urged to create ambitious plans for cutting emissions from buildings to meet Paris Agreement

Wed, 27th Apr 2016

Governments, businesses, consumer groups and NGOs across Europe are being urged to come together to create ambitious plans for how their countries will cut emissions from existing buildings, in order to meet the Paris Agreement and halt global temperature rises.

WorldGBC & EBRD collaborate to drive sustainable buildings

Wed, 20th Apr 2016

The World Green Building Council’s Europe Regional Network and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding in support of sustainable property development.

World’s largest collaborative retrofit project launches to cut emissions from buildings

Tue, 1st Mar 2016

The world’s largest collaborative project on building renovation has been officially launched today by Green Building Councils across Europe, in a bid to tackle one of the region’s biggest climate challenges – its existing buildings.

EU unveils new green building policy objectives

Fri, 8th Jan 2016

The European Commission has started building the foundations of a common language around green building with the release of a major new working paper.

Further reading

Europe Leadership in Green Building Awards

These awards were established to promote leadership on sustainability and inspire best practice in building projects, business practice and public policy.

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Events

Achieving Net Zero Embodied Carbon in Europe

Tuesday 24th September 2019

As part of World Green Building Week and alongside the UN Climate Action Summit, the World Green Building Council will host an exclusive executive briefing and reception to celebrate the launch of its new industry report calling for radical industry collaboration to achieve decarbonisation.

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