The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), in partnership with Architects Declare, has announced the program for the Built Environment Summit 2021, a two-day, partially in-person conference taking place on October 28 and 29, 2021. 

The event comes following the publication of RIBA and Architects Declare’s Built for the Environment report, that details the role industry has and must have in tackling the climate crisis. The summit also arrives ahead of COP26 in Glasgow, which starts on November 1. 

As stated by RIBA, “The summit is a call to action, bringing together professionals from across the international built environment sector to address the urgent need to drive changes in behaviour to reduce carbon emissions. We cannot meet the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C temperature rise limit above pre-industrial levels without transforming the way we plan, design, build, operate, and adapt our built environment.” 

Speakers from around the world will appear both physically, at RIBA’s headquarters in London, and virtually to lead lectures and panel discussions, share innovative practices, and encourage interdisciplinary thinking towards ways to achieve net-zero. The summit will also explore how the sector and policymakers can achieve the recommendations made in the aforementioned Built for the Environment report. 

“It’s never been more important for us to unite as a sector,” said RIBA President Simon Allford. “Climate change is our greatest challenge, and to successfully meet this challenge, we need to radically change our approach to designing and constructing buildings. We then become part of the solution rather than the problem. I therefore urge everyone who helps shape the built environment to join us at this Summit, to listen, to learn, and to share their knowledge and experience.

The full program along with access to tickets for the Built Environment Summit 2021 can be accessed here.