During the thematic day for Multilevel Action, Urbanization and Built Environment/Transport held earlier this month at the global climate conference, COP28, the Buildings Breakthrough was formally launched. The Buildings Breakthrough is a cross-sectoral campaign to support governments in the universal adoption and implementation of near-zero emission and resilient buildings by 2030. It is supported by 18 private-sector led initiatives, including the Building Capacity for Sustainable and Resilient Buildings Initiative led by the International Code Council.  

“The International Code Council has long recognized the essential role buildings play in our world and the impact they have on the sustainability and resilience of people and the planet,” said International Code CEO Dominic Sims, CBO. “We applaud the attention global leaders have placed on supporting advances in the sector and stand ready to assist in the development and implementation of the solutions that governments and the building industry need to achieve climate adaptation and mitigation goals.”

Because of the work that the International Code Council has done to advance the importance of employing a holistic approach to the building safety regulatory ecosystem and the essential need for capacity building, the organization was recognized during the official launch, along with representatives from the supporting countries and other supporting initiatives.  

The focus on the adoption and enforcement of modern building codes was reinforced by White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi during the launch. Zaidi said of the U.S. participation in the Breakthrough, “We’re working just like many of you across jurisdictional levels, providing grants through the president’s infrastructure law to state and local governments to level up their capability to design standards, implement and enforce them. Because codes are only as good as the enforcement that follows.”

The next steps under the Breakthrough include developing priority actions to drive progress. This action setting will occur at a first of its kind meeting of building and construction related ministers in March 2024 in Paris, France. While building and energy codes have already been recognized as a key component of achieving the Breakthrough’s objectives, the International Code Council has developed a brief released at COP on Building Codes and the International Breakthrough Agenda providing specific opportunities to leverage existing code solutions.

The International Code Council-led capacity building initiative recognized today is also supported by Architecture 2030, ASHRAE, Building Designers Association of Australia (BDAA), Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC), HOK, International Building Quality Center (IBQC), International Living Future Institute (ILFI), Materials and Embodied Carbon Leaders’ Alliance (MECLA), +LAB Architects, ResALLience, Saint-Gobain, and U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).