We were thrilled to attend the World Green Building Council's Global Solutions Forum 2026 during London Climate Action Week.
The event brought together Green Building Councils, industry leaders, investors and policymakers from around the world to share solutions, strengthen partnerships and accelerate action towards a more sustainable and resilient built environment.
A few key messages stood out throughout the day:
⚡ The future is electric. In his opening keynote, Lord Adair Turner (Energy Transitions Commission) highlighted that the transition to clean energy and future-ready buildings is already underway. Beyond electrification itself, he stressed the importance of smart electrification, energy efficiency and reducing peak energy demand as central pillars of the built environment transition.
💰 Sustainable buildings make economic sense. During the panel Unlocking the Economic Opportunity, Lena Hök (Skanska), Luis Alejandro M. (IDB Invest), Brett Ormrod (LaSalle Investment Management) and Dr. Klaus Schlobach (Allianz) explored how finance can accelerate the transition. A key takeaway was that capital is increasingly flowing towards sustainable and resilient assets, supported by stronger data, clearer metrics and growing market alignment.
🤝 Leadership and people drive momentum. In conversation with Dave Turk (former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy), the discussion highlighted that while policy tools matter, progress ultimately depends on the teams, networks and individuals delivering change. As he noted, “success begets success” — with momentum in sustainable buildings increasingly driven by those putting solutions into practice on the ground.
🚀 The solutions already exist — now we need scale. In the closing session, Lindsay Hooper (Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL)) brought together the day's discussions around a powerful message: the foundations for transformation are already in place. The challenge now is to deploy proven solutions at scale and create the conditions that enable systemic change. As she noted, leadership today is about changing the rules of the game, not simply operating within them.
For BGBC, the Forum was an inspiring reminder that while the challenges remain significant, momentum is growing globally. Through collaboration, shared learning and collective action, we can continue building the transition together.
Future-Proof Real Estate, Together