Reflections from the GlobalABC 2026 Lausanne Summit

The GlobalABC Sustainable Buildings and Construction Summit in Lausanne showed a sector moving firmly into delivery, but also exposed where momentum is concentrating. Much of the discussion focused on improving existing systems and scaling familiar solutions, making clear which approaches currently dominate the transition. In doing so, the summit raised a direct question: whether the sector is widening its agenda fast enough to fully address material choice, environmental limits and social outcomes, or whether parts of the transition risk being left underdeveloped.

Timber and biobased materials need to show up more in the sector transition conversation 

Across many of the early sessions, the conversation seemed to settle around pathways that kept concrete close to the centre of gravity. Much of the framing was directed toward improving cement-based systems and reinforcing their place in the transition, with recurring emphasis on scalability, delivery and investability. That gave the discussion a clear orientation, while also making it easier to see how one material logic can begin to set the terms of progress unless the sector is deliberate about widening the frame. 

That is where timber and biobased materials need far greater presence. In many applications, their low-carbon potential is strong, though their value reaches further than emissions alone. They bring renewability, stewardship, ecosystem relationships and a closer response to place into the conversation, and in doing so they help open up a more complete view of what sustainable buildings and construction can be. A stronger transition will depend on giving these materials far greater space, confidence and momentum within the sector story itself. 

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Most governments prioritise building performance over materials

Government presentations revealed something important about where policy comfort currently sits. Across presentations from Asia, Africa and Latin America, the emphasis returned repeatedly to electricity demand, operational energy use, cooling and performance in use. That focus made sense, because these are areas where governments already have established targets, existing policy tools and reporting structures that feel workable. 

At the same time, the summit showed that the wider materials conversation still has some way to go before it carries the same policy fluency and confidence. Whole-life thinking is gaining ground, which is a welcomed step, yet material choice still appears to sit behind operational savings and near-term delivery in many parts of the discussion. That leaves out too much, because sustainable buildings and construction are shaped as much by what goes into buildings as by how they perform once complete. Materials influence emissions, jobs, local industry, wellbeing, and the quality of the built environment itself. The policy frame will need to bring that fuller picture much closer to the centre, especially in relation to timber and biobased materials. 

See Principles for Responsible Timber Construction

The Global South is a deciding area for a materials-led transformation

Conversations around the Global South seemed to carry a particular mix of urgency, scale and pragmatism, shaped by the reality that a large share of future buildings and infrastructure will take shape there. In that context, urban growth, housing demand and infrastructure expansion give unusual weight to material choices, because they will shape the character, resilience and social value of cities for decades to come. Across the summit, there was also a discernible pull toward familiar solutions and established materials, which made the need for a wider field of judgement more pressing. 

The way forward is therefore better understood as a mosaic than a singular pathway. What matters here is a stronger alignment between climate goals, human wellbeing and the quality of urban growth, with greater sensitivity to context and consequence. In that setting, timber and biobased materials deserve a much stronger place in the mix, because a more balanced transition depends on giving these materials far greater attention and room to grow within a wider platform of solutions. 

Practitioners show that sustainability begins with smarter use of materials and space

One of the strongest parts of the summit came from practitioners. Designers and architects repeatedly brought the discussion back to the fundamentals of good building, and that shift added real clarity. Their examples showed how much can be gained through better structural decisions, more efficient planning, smarter use of space and earlier choices that reduce material intensity from the start. 

In some cases, biobased materials are featured directly within that thinking. In others, the lesson was broader, centred on restraint, design quality and judgment as core tools of transformation. That mattered because it shifted the conversation away from narrow product logic and toward a more intelligent view of sustainable buildings and construction as a system of choices. 

See exemplary biobased buildings 

What’s ahead: anchoring the sector transition in alternative materials, smarter use of space and different pathways

The direction of travel for sustainable buildings and construction is being shaped right now, and the choices being reinforced today will influence the sector for years to come. What GlobalABC revealed was a field that is clearly moving, though still determining how broad its transition story is prepared to be. There is growing attention on implementation, stronger engagement across policy and practice, and a clearer willingness to discuss whole-life carbon thinking. 

A stronger sector transition will come from giving greater weight to alternative materials, better design decisions and more efficient use of space, while creating room for a wider set of pathways to mature. Timber and biobased materials need to move much closer to the centre of that story. The opportunity ahead is to build that wider transition with more intention, more capability, and more scale.