From November 10–21, world leaders, civil society, and activists will convene in Belém, Brazil for COP30 - the 2025 UN annual climate conference.
This year marks a critical opportunity to advance buildings, and particularly existing and historic buildings, as underutilized assets in both climate mitigation and adaptation. Built Buildings Lab has been actively engaged in key initiatives on the road to COP30 through participation with the COP30 Action Agenda Activation Group on culture-based climate action, the UNEP Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction, and the initiative Decarbonizing the Built Environment through Heritage.
At COP30, Built Buildings Lab’s Executive Director, Lori Ferriss, and Research Director, Billie Faircloth, will be on the ground as part of the Architecture 2030 and Cornell University delegations, respectively. They will advocate for the role of the existing built environment as a source of essential climate mitigation and adaptation strategies, offering both critical embodied knowledge and direct decarbonization and resilience solutions.
If you’ll be at COP30, come find us at one of our events, and stay tuned for recordings and follow up.
The 2030 Agenda in Cities: Design as a Driver for Climate Action
Date and Time: 11 November, 17.00-17.30
Location: Resilient Cities Pavilion
Lori Ferriss will speak as a panelist on the role of designers in shaping climate action at the building, landscape, and infrastructure scale.
Beyond Zero Carbon: Designing for a Regenerative and Resilient Future
Date and Time: 12 November, 11.00-12.00
Location: Thailand Pavilion
Lori Ferriss will speak as a panelist on traditional solutions to create a built environment in balance with the earth’s resources.
Cultural Heritage Based Climate Action in the Built Environment
Date and Time: 13 November, 17.00-17.45
Location: Resilient Cities Pavilion
Lori Ferriss will present the important solutions both tangible and intangible heritage hold for the building sector, from building reuse, to circularity, to knowledge of local materials and design for human well-being.
Heritage and Resilience: Safeguarding Culture and Community in a Changing Climate
Date and Time: 14 November, 11.00-12.00
Location: Thailand Pavilion
This panel explores how cultural heritage—both tangible and intangible—can strengthen resilience while contributing to just and inclusive climate transitions. The session brings together voices from heritage conservation, academia, and community practice to share examples of how traditional knowledge, local craftsmanship, and place-based practices intersect with modern sustainability and energy goals.
What Can We Learn from Climate Smart Traditional Buildings
Date and Time: 14 November, 13.15-14.45
Location: Side Event Room 4
Official UNFCCC Side Event, co-sponsored by Architecture 2030, ICOMOS, and the German Sustainable Building Council.
Traditional buildings and knowledge embody centuries of ecological intelligence, offering culture-based climate mitigation and adaptation solutions. This session explores the role of traditional knowledge and communities in meeting carbon neutrality targets while advancing resilience and justice.
Sufficiency, heritage and existing buildings
Date and Time: 14 November, 15.30-17.00
Location: Buildings and Cooling Pavilion
This session, co-hosted by the Climate Heritage Network, the Global Sufficiency Hub, and Architecture 2030 will explore built heritage and sufficiency as often overlooked strategies to achieve the aims of the Buildings Breakthrough by creating a low-carbon, resilient, and equitable built environment.