BIM Africa has outlined the role of Building Information Modelling and other digital technologies in cutting the whole-life carbon emissions of the built environment at the inaugural Buildings & Climate Global Forum in Paris, France.
The forum, co-hosted by the French government and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), attracted more than 1,400 participants and culminated in 70 countries signing the Chaillot Declaration, which commits states to implement roadmaps, frameworks and construction codes to move towards more carbon-neutral buildings.
BIM Africa was co-lead of the forum’s thematic session on research, innovation and digitalisation. The session challenges and solutions in various case studies across the continent, including the Telfair North Project featured in the African BIM Report 2022.
The opening plenary for the forum also launched the 2023 Global Status Report for Buildings & Construction, which indicates that the overall energy demand and emissions of the building sector continue to grow. BIM Africa director Moses Itanola participated in the review taskforce under the Global Alliance for Buildings & Construction.
Kickstarting decarbonisation efforts
Beyond the main forum, BIM Africa delegates took part in site visits and pre-forum events, some of which BIM Africa director Kehinde Adeyemi saw as key enablers for high-level interactions and networking to kick-start collaborative efforts to decarbonise the built environment.
The sessions facilitated knowledge exchange and highlighted gaps that must be bridged around gathering reliable primary data via whole-life carbon tracking solutions and decarbonisation efforts.
The forum also saw the formal launch of the Built Environment Market Transformation Action Agenda. Championed by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and endorsed by BIM Africa, the agenda aims to provide a transformative guiding path towards halving emissions by 2030 and reaching net zero by 2050.
BIM Africa executive director Mohammad AlAgouz said: “BIM Africa’s participation at the forum underscores our commitment to promoting sustainable construction practices across the African continent.”
