Thematic session - Unlocking potential of the heritage and existing built environment

Unlocking potential of the heritage and existing built environment to accelerate sectoral climate mitigation, adaptation, and capacity building

This session will demonstrate why the existing historic and indigenous built environment, and the knowledge held within it, must be central to the implementation of the Buildings Breakthrough priority recommendations.
Sectoral approaches to climate action in the built environment have been dominated by Global North industrial practices, products, and markets and a focus on new construction and technologies. This has overlooked critical knowledge from history and from indigenous practice, the inherent societal capacity-building potential of cultural heritage, and the powerful climate potential of the existing built environment.
Two primary pathways to accelerating sectoral climate action are proposed by unlocking the potential of heritage and the existing built environment: the effectiveness of reuse and retrofit, especially in developed areas, and the utilisation and scaling up of traditional and indigenous knowledge, especially in areas where rapid growth is projected.
We will show how the historic built environment can not only be a source of effective and rapid mitigation and adaptation and innovative, robust and just solutions; but also can support the rapid adoption of effective building sector policy and practices by individuals, organisations and communities.