BRE Trust is engaged with the Global Building Network, an initiative of Penn State University and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), which aims to advance building science, construction processes and building management in order to create an international framework that will make buildings more sustainable, more efficient and healthier for people.
The Global Building Network works toward creating a systems approach to the way buildings come into existence, from construction to finance — including engineers, architects, carpenters, consumers, building code officers and financiers — helping to reduce energy needs and improving human health. This approach will also be used as existing buildings will need to be upgraded and improved.
“The silos and fragmentation within the built environment that continue to have a negative impact on the sectors’ productivity across the globe have a lot of similarities with the state of agriculture in Pennsylvania before programs such as the Penn State Ag Extension emerged,” said Esther Obonyo, Director of the Network. “The GBN is a high-performance building-centric outreach and extension platform for research in the public good and education for citizens within an interconnected and interdependent global context.”
Through this partnership, the BRE Trust is keen to connect to other actors working to improve the built environment globally, both in practice and in the academic sphere, to work on various issues related to:
- Reducing carbon emissions in buildings through community-centric approaches
- Supporting the development of building resilience against external stressors globally
- Reviewing inclusive design and construction approaches for residential, commercial, and other buildings
- Supporting retrofit for the future initiatives
As this emerging relationship continues to grow, keep an eye out for developments on this page, or visit the Global Building Network website for further updates!
