During COP26, the virtual pavilion ‘Build Better Now’ opened to the public. It showcase 17 sustainable projects, able to demonstrate built opportunities for addressing the climate crisis. Run by UK Green Building Council, the initiative comes as a global call for climate action, in particular since the COP26 dedicated a day to building and cities.

The virtual pavilion, designed by AECOM in collaboration with Install Archive, features a series of dome-shaped exhibition spaces showcasing the selected worldwide exemplary projects. A central 3D installation, created by Make Architects, highlights the importance of circular economy, illustrating opportunities for reuse and recycling. The virtual pavillion will host also talks, in order to raise awareness on the relationship between the built environment and climate change.

The selected projects have a positive and tangible impact on their context and offer replicable solutions to issues such as natural resources scarcity and climate adaptation, engaging with a variety of themes such as the use of local and sustainable materials and renewable energy. Among them are TECLA sustainable home by Mario Cucinella Architects, an unbaked clay 3d-printed structure in Italy (Massa Lombarda); White Arkitekter's Sara Kulturhus in Sweden, the second tallest timber building of the world; and Favela da Paz, an urban ecovillage in São Paulo’s South suburbs, created by Fábio Miranda.