Friday 2 October 2026
Following 18 months of collaboration, the latest phase of the World Green Building Council’s (WorldGBC) #BuildingLife capacity building initiative has successfully concluded, supporting Green Building Councils (GBCs) GBC Slovenia, SBC Greece, Bulgarian GBC and Serbia GBC to build the foundations for national whole life carbon (WLC) roadmaps.
Working across government, industry, academia, finance and civil society, each GBC has helped build the foundations for action on WLC. Through national surveys, expert workshops, and structured dialogue, they have brought stakeholders together, strengthened national capacity and identified the priorities needed to accelerate progress.
The result? A stronger evidence base to shape policy, transform markets and drive the development of national roadmaps.
Using WorldGBC’s Zero Carbon and Climate Resilience Readiness Framework, stakeholders assessed national readiness for WLC action across five key pillars: Government Leadership, Technical Solutions, Finance, Data and Mindset.
Laura Pallares, Regional Head, Europe, World Green Building Council:
“The legacy of #BuildingLife is that it is measured by the communities, partnerships, and shared ambition which it has inspired across Europe.
“One of its greatest strengths is the ability to bring together a range of voices around the table, to advance climate action together. After the lessons learnt from all the participating GBCs, we provided knowledge exchange to bring their experiences to Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, and Slovenia. Now seeing them build the foundations for national WLC action has shown what is possible when people unite behind a common goal. They are not simply preparing roadmaps; they are building the trust, collaboration and momentum needed to help turn WLC from an emerging concept into everyday practice, which we will continue into the next phase of #BuidlngLife.”
Led by WorldGBC’s Europe Regional Network, #BuildingLife is a collaborative movement spearheaded by GBCs across Europe to accelerate whole life carbon action. Building on the success of the first phase — which saw 12 pioneering GBCs develop national Whole Life Carbon roadmaps alongside a European roadmap — this latest initiative has strengthened national capacity, expanded stakeholder collaboration, and equipped countries with the tools needed to accelerate the transition to a decarbonised and resilient built environment.
Together, these roadmaps and capacity-building initiatives are creating a growing network of countries equipped to reduce emissions across the whole life cycle of buildings — turning European climate ambition into national action.
Although each country faces its own unique challenges, the findings from the four GBCs revealed a consistent picture of what is needed to accelerate progress:
Across every discussion, it was clear that lasting progress depends as much on people as it does on policy.
As European countries prepare to implement the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), including new WLC provisions, the experiences of these GBCs demonstrate the value of collaboration.
Together with the original #BuildingLife countries, they are building a growing community that will continue the next phase of the project — continuing the mission to make Europe the world’s first fully climate neutral continent.
Dimitris Managoudis, Vice President, Sustainable Building Council Greece (SBC Greece) and Alexandros Archontidis, Treasurer, Sustainable Building Council Greece (SBC Greece):
“The BuildingLife II Capacity Building programme has been a turning point for SBC Greece. Through the ZCCRRF process – from the national survey to the multi-stakeholder and Government Leadership validation workshops – we built a structured, evidence-based dialogue with the Ministry of Environment and Energy, Technical Chamber, Academia, Industry and Finance around Whole Life Carbon for the first time in Greece. The programme gave us a proven methodology, direct access to peer learning across the European Regional Network, and the institutional standing to act as the national convening body on WLC. The resulting Enabling Actions Matrix now forms the foundation of the Greek National Whole Life Carbon Roadmap and directly informs our positions on the EPBD transposition. Beyond the deliverables, the most lasting outcome is a coalition of stakeholders committed to carrying this work into national policy. Last but not least, we would like to acknowledge that our collaboration with the ERN team was highly effective, professional, and consistently supportive. Their guidance throughout the programme was invaluable and played a significant role in the successful delivery of our national activities.”
Dragana Korica, Director, Serbia Green Building Council and Vladimir Nedeljković, Program Manager, Serbia Green Building Council:
“The BuildingLife Capacity Building Initiative has been a key catalyst in advancing the subject of Whole Life Carbon in the Serbian construction sector. The initiative has brought together representatives from all corners of the sector around a topic that has previously received little attention in Serbia, helping further position Serbia GBC not just as a point of contact, but a nexus for cross-sector sustainability collaboration. One of the most poignant outcomes has not been the technical data, but rather the experience shared among local actors of the truly meaningful progress that is created from sustained dialogue between those who possess the power and know-how to translate highly technical information and concepts into practical, actionable steps. While the Enabling Actions Matrix is a key foundational output for a future national construction sector decarbonisation roadmap, it is that community who will continue to drive progress forward.”
Iztok Kamenski, CEO, GBC Slovenia:
“The BuildingLife Capacity Building Initiative has been a significant milestone in advancing Whole Life Carbon thinking and sustainable construction practices in Slovenia. Through stakeholder workshops, surveys, structured discussions and comprehensive analysis, participants actively contributed their expertise, priorities and perspectives. Perhaps the project’s greatest achievement was not only the development of valuable data, analyses and the national Enabling Actions Matrix, but the creation of a strong community of engaged professionals. This collaborative network provides a solid foundation for accelerating the decarbonisation of Slovenia’s built environment and supporting the transition towards a more sustainable, circular and climate-resilient construction sector.”
Adina Welsh, Chairperson, Bulgarian GBC:
“The BuildingLife Capacity Building initiative accomplishment in Bulgaria gave us clear awareness that the cooperation between all stakeholders in the construction sector of the country is not only possible, but also has the capacity to be brough on a next level. The comprehensive questionnaire, circulated between stakeholders of the public and private players in the sector led to clear outcomes, defining the gaps, challenges and advantages in terms of the consideration of whole life carbon as a milestone factor in sustainable construction. Besides of drawing the frame of the future decarbonization roadmap, the Capacity Building initiative showed us that the construction sector in Bulgaria clearly needs to have a decarbonization roadmap and its creation is feasible through a synergy between all stakeholders. The decarbonization roadmap will become a base to help us improve the carbon footprint of the sector by using different tools – regulations, policies and capacity building. Our understanding is that the BuildigLife Capacity Building initiative in Bulgaria fulfilled not only its main goal to define the understanding of whole life carbon among the stakeholders and experts in the sector, but also to unite them and emphasize the significance of the sustainable construction and help the country become a greener and more competitive player on the market.”
Pictured above: The Serbia GBC working group.