London – 9am GMT, 7 December 2023
Yesterday at the UN Climate Summit COP28, World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) welcomed the newly announced Buildings Breakthrough, which we are proud to support through our leading climate action initiatives, including: the Advancing Net Zero global programme, #BuildingLife and the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment (the Commitment). And today, we are delighted to announce five new signatories to the Commitment; Centurion Corporation Ltd, Colliers, Corgan, Maffeis Engineering and TYLin Group.
These businesses are demonstrating action by pledging to decarbonise their portfolios, and advocate for wider emissions reductions, acting as a catalyst for further action to advance net zero and accelerate market transformation to decarbonise the built environment and deliver on the Buildings Breakthrough.
The Buildings Breakthrough is a global platform designed to foster deep collaboration between national governments in a bid to make “near-zero emissions and resilient buildings the new normal by 2030”. Led by France and the Kingdom of Morocco and endorsed by 25+ countries, the Breakthrough represents a critical moment where national governments are collaborating together to recognise the role of buildings as a climate solution.
The success of the Buildings Breakthrough will need to happen through local action on the ground – this is exactly what our Green Building Councils (GBCs), industry partners and signatories to the Commitment are already doing to make the Breakthrough a reality.
The Commitment has a total of 180 signatories and fosters a reductions first, outcomes based approach to decarbonisation. Businesses and organisations signing up to the Commitment are actively tackling operational and embodied carbon emissions from their buildings. Last year signatories achieved a 12% reduction in emission intensity compared with the previous reporting period, a reduction that is equivalent to emissions from 1.4 million homes’ electricity use.
As part of our support of the Buildings Breakthrough and efforts at COP28, WorldGBC, our partners, Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment signatories and the GBC network issued an Open Letter with a call to action to political leaders and policymakers at COP28. It demonstrates the critical role of the built environment in tackling global heating, champions the action being taken by our network, and provides a call to action for policymakers to step up and deliver the regulatory change the world needs as they prepare to enter the final week of negotiations.
Cristina Gamboa, CEO, World Green Building Council:
“World Green Building Council and our network welcomes the Buildings Breakthrough. It represents a crucial step towards our shared goal of achieving a sustainable, decarbonised and resilient built environment. We are delighted to have several WorldGBC projects formally recognised as supporting initiatives in the delivery of the Breakthrough targets.
I also want to celebrate the leadership shown by those companies announced today as new signatories, alongside the existing cohort of leaders participating in the Commitment.They are contributing to the demand signals necessary to catalyse further transformation towards the Buildings Breakthrough and the Race to Zero 2030 Breakthrough Goals for the built environment.
Together, we are #BuildingTheTransition for an energy efficient, regenerative and just future.”
Centurion Corporation Ltd is a Singapore-based leading provider of quality Purpose-Built Workers and Students Accommodation around the world. The Group’s portfolio of 34 operational accommodation assets comprises approximately 66,607 beds across 5 countries and 3 regions. The company will develop a decarbonisation roadmap, reduce energy consumption by refurbishing existing properties with energy-efficient fixtures and switching to renewable energy, where available. Centurion Corporation Ltd aims to reduce embodied carbon by adopting sustainable building designs and responsible sourcing of raw materials for construction of new properties. Read Centurion Corporation Ltd’s profile here.
Colliers is a leading diversified professional services and investment management company with 19,000 professionals who elevate built environments for owners, investors and occupiers. As a leader in the industry operating in 66 countries, the firm plays an important role in tackling major challenges such as climate change and inequality. Colliers is passionate about supporting its clients’ ambitions to improve their environmental impact, offering solutions that span the entire property life cycle, including low-carbon engineering and design, green lease negotiations, building certifications, ESG reporting, development of net zero roadmaps and more. Colliers aims to achieve net zero in its own operations by 2030. Read Colliers profile here.
Corgan is an architecture and design firm that is pushing the boundaries of integrating sustainable design in all of their projects. Corgan has already delivered over 150 projects with over 44 million square feet and construction value of over $16 billion that are LEED certified. Corgan plans to develop a climate action plan for their operations to become carbon neutral for all operational carbon by end of FY 2025. Read Corgan’s profile here.
Maffeis Engineering is an international engineering consultancy, involved in hundreds of iconic major projects each year, contributing to delivering low carbon and high efficiency structures and facades. Committed to equitable, sustainable development, Maffeis Engineering embraces a ‘whole life’ approach. The company is already decarbonising its portfolio, with its HQ being recently retrofitted to be run almost exclusively by on-site renewable solar power, with a highly energy-efficient building envelope to minimise energy consumption. Read Maffeis Engineering’s profile here.
TYLin Group is a globally recognised, full-service infrastructure consulting firm committed to providing innovative, cost-effective, constructible designs for the global infrastructure market. TYLin Group combines expertise from an array of disciplines directly addressing 14 of the 17 United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. TYLin Group will carry out energy and refrigerant efficiency upgrades across tenancies, work with landlords on renewable energy procurements and electrification strategies. TYLin Group will replace the existing Introba profile. Read TYLin Group’s profile here.
Varun Kohli, Director of Sustainability, Corgan
“Corgan is committed to environmental and social sustainability, both in the work that we do and our own operational impact. As a signatory to the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment with WorldGBC, we will ensure that we work hard to minimise carbon emissions and mitigate the unavoidable through credible offsets.”
Matthew Cummings, President and CEO, TYLin Group
“TYLin Group is joining this commitment to help the world experience a better quality of life while ensuring a better future for generations to come.”
Sean Drygas, Global Lead, ESG & Impact, Colliers
“Like the World Green Building Council, Colliers believes the decarbonisation of the built environment is critical to a bright, sustainable future. We are proud to commit to Net Zero Carbon Buildings for our offices, and to advocate for greater carbon emissions reductions among all the buildings we influence.”
Giovanni Gori, Global Director of Sustainability, Maffeis Engineering
“Maffeis Engineering proudly contributes to a sustainable future by joining the WorldGBC Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment, leading the way in sustainable structures and facades for a resilient, eco-friendly built environment, fostering a greener tomorrow.”
Kong Chee Min, Chief Executive Officer, Centurion Corporation Ltd.
“Being a leading provider of quality worker and student accommodation, Centurion Corporation Ltd understands the need to be forward-thinking in transitioning towards greener buildings and operations. Centurion Corporation Ltd hopes to inspire proactive climate leadership action through the Commitment and drive changes towards net zero carbon buildings.”
