The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has launched an open call for exhibition projects and a centrepiece installation for its global COP26 Built Environment Virtual Pavilion. The competition was launched alongside a coalition of more than 100 partner organisations.
The virtual pavilion is to be delivered as part of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP26, to be held in Glasgow this November.
It will explore themes of sustainability and the built environment at COP26. The virtual pavilion aims to highlight how the built environment can contribute both to climate change and its solutions, including decarbonisation.
Online visitors will be able to access the pavilion through a virtual reality platform exhibiting stories, projects, films, interactive exhibits, and a centrepiece installation.
“The launch of today’s Open Call is a very exciting moment for the COP26 Built Environment Virtual Pavilion,” Julie Hirigoyen, Chief Executive at UKGBC, said. “Each project that will be selected for the exhibition will help tell a story of sustainability in the built environment and enable those entering the virtual reality space to see just how important our industry is in the race to net zero.”
This year’s COP26 aims to evaluate progress towards the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. It will discuss the mitigation of the climate crisis, adaptation of ecosystems and natural habitats, mobilisation of climate finance, and collaboration between governments, businesses and society.
SPOTLIGHTING THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT FOR COP26 AT THE VIRTUAL PAVILION
The Virtual Pavilion for COP26 was announced earlier in May to “enable widespread access and engagement with built environment issues at COP26,” a statement from UKGBC said.
The open call is looking for built or planned global projects that discuss the built environment, and its relationship with the climate crisis. The projects must cover at least one of the themes at the virtual pavilion, which are, climate mitigation, climate adaptation, natural resource use, and nature and biodiversity.
In all, the virtual pavilion at COP26 aims to feature up to 12 such projects, which will also address socio-economic impacts and sustainability beyond the project’s life cycle.
These projects will be accessible to public viewing even after COP26 has ended, the UKGBC said.
It is also seeking out design proposals for a 3D virtual installation that will act as a centrepiece at the virtual pavilion. The proposals can span existing interventions, interactive spaces, and abstract art as well. The winning application will receive a prize of GBP 2000.
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