Sustainable Buildings Collaborative
(SBC) Americas
Scaling high-performance building solutions through cross-sector collaboration 

ABOUT

The Sustainable Buildings Collaborative – Americas (SBC Americas) is an invitation-only regional initiative accelerating the transition to decarbonized, resilient, and high-performance buildings across the Americas. Rooted in global frameworks like the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Climate Accord, the Buildings Breakthrough Target, and the Chaillot Declaration, our collaborative aligns climate ambition with on-the-ground action. 

  

A partnership driven by VIBE, The Energy Coalition, Verdani Partners, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Buildings Action Coalition (BAC), SBC Americas brings together building owners, service providers, utilities, city officials, researchers, NGOs, and trade groups to break down silos and drive systems-level change. 

 

The BAC operates under an MOU with UNEP with the Enniscorthy International Forum as its secretariat. The coalition comprises international centers of excellence, academic and industry networks, and a group of “gurus” working to develop a UN protocol on high performance buildings. The BAC now is developing a network of regional hubs — from Europe to APAC to the Americas — all working to support attainment of the Buildings Breakthrough target: 

  

“Near-zero emission and resilient buildings as the new normal by 2030.” 

 

VISION 

To accelerate the transition to decarbonized, resilient, and high-performance buildings across the Americas in alignment with: 

• The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 

• The Paris Climate Accord 

• The Buildings Breakthrough Target: “Near-zero emission and resilient buildings are the new normal by 2030” 

• The Chaillot Declaration: advancing sustainable, affordable, and resilient buildings for all through international collaboration, regulatory alignment, and market transformation. 

• Local Regulatory Requirements including SB 253 & SB 261 (California, USA), Local Building Performance Standards (US), Brazil SEC Climate Disclosure Rules among others.  

 

This collaborative will foster a thriving, inclusive, and equitable building industry that delivers healthy, sustainable, and high-quality buildings for all. 

 

MISSION 

The Sustainable Buildings Collaborative – Americas will: 

• Convene a multidisciplinary network of building owners, service providers, utilities (including load-serving entities and system operators), city officials, NGOs, researchers, academics, and trade organizations to break silos and foster transformative collaboration. 

• Advance decarbonization and resilience through knowledge sharing, solution development, and policy support aligned with the Buildings Breakthrough and Chaillot Declaration goals. 

• Promote education, training, and research that build capacity for delivering, operating, and improving high-performance buildings. 

• Serve as the Americas regional collaborative within the BAC Global Collaboratives, supporting global collaboration, innovation, and implementation of international frameworks. 

GOALS 

• Champion integrated solutions for water, energy/carbon efficiency, resilience, electrification, affordability, health, biodiversity and equity. 

• Advance adoption of building decarbonization policies, including Building Performance Standards (BPS), net-zero codes, and electrification incentives. 

• Promote carbon pricing and market-based mechanisms as part of a comprehensive strategy to reduce emissions from the built environment. 

• Support rapid scale-up of renewable energy, building energy efficiency, and electrification consistent with pathways modeled to limit warming below 2°C. 

• Encourage innovation and deployment of carbon removal and nature-based solutions tied to the built environment (e.g., low-carbon materials, urban greening). 

• Reduce embodied carbon and waste through circular economy and material efficiency strategies. 

• Enable regional and cross-sector dialogue on climate mitigation and adaptation priorities. 

• Align with Buildings Breakthrough and Chaillot Declaration principles to drive regulatory coherence, equitable access, and international cooperation. 

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Membership in SBC Americas is limited and currently on an invite-only basis. For more information, please contact us at info@verdani-institute.org and see our brochure.

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Stay tuned for updates on our next in-person meeting at Greenbuild 2026 in New York City and how you or your organization can apply in the future by following VIBE on LinkedIn.