Co-leads

AECOM, UNOPS, Global Infrastructure Basel, EPFL, UNU Flores

Workshop Description

This workshop explores how to better align buildings and infrastructure systems to deliver inclusive, low-carbon, climate-resilient outcomes. Infrastructure decisions shape building performance, emissions and resilience, yet planning, investment, and implementation often remain fragmented. Through a short framing presentation and interactive World Café discussions, participants will examine barriers to planning, delivering and managing inclusive, low-carbon, climate-resilient buildings and infrastructure systems. Barriers that will be examined include: governance, upstream planning, designing integrated systems, financing,  carbon and materials use and construction, maximisation of service life and knowledge gaps. 

Drawing on real case studies and practical experience, the session will focus on actions that can move from concept to delivery. The objective is to generate clear, actionable recommendations for a position paper and to strengthen recognition of infrastructure as critical to achieving GlobalABC objectives and supporting governments and industry in advancing integrated, sustainable built environment strategies.

a) What does sustainable infrastructure look like in a world facing climate stress, rapid urbanisation, and limited resources? 

b) How can conventional infrastructure systems be transformed to meet climate, resilience, and sustainability goals?

Format

This session uses a World Café format to create structured, interactive discussions across key themes.

Participants will be divided into small groups and seated at thematic tables, each focusing on one topic related to buildings and infrastructure systems.

  • 8–10 participants per table
  • 2–3 discussion rounds
  • 15–20 minutes per round

At the end of each round, participants rotate to a new table, while the host remains. This allows ideas to circulate, build, and deepen across groups.

Each table includes:

  • one host per 2 tables
  • one facilitator (helping to guide the conversation
  • one rapporteur (note-taker)

The format focuses on practical discussion and clear outputs, not presentations.

Agenda
Opening (20–25 minutes)Opening presentation on the buildings–infrastructure nexus:
Welcome and introduction by Edel Guenther – keynote on why this topic matters now (5–10 min).
Opening remarks by Viktor Mechtcherine to set the strategic context and link to CARE excellence cluster work (10 min). (No panels. No long presentations.)
World Café Discussions (60–75 minutes)Participants will be divided into small groups (8–10 per table) across 6–7 thematic tables (with duplication per topic depending on the number of participants).Each table focuses on one predefined theme aligned with guiding questions. Participants will rotate between tables over 2–3 rounds (~15–20 minutes each). Each table will have:1 host (floating between two tables) to guide the discussion1 facilitator (helping to guide the conversation 1 rapporteur / note-taker (supported by EPFL)Discussions will be structured around 2–3 guiding questions, with a clear focus on:Key barriers/challenges
(technical, financial, policy, implementation)Practical solutions and action
(what already works and what can scale)Key partnership to facilitate progress

More details on the World Café format can be found here:https://theworldcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Cafe-To-Go-Revised.pdf
Plenary Synthesis and Call to Action (30–40 minutes)Table hosts report key findings (Table 1-7, 5 mins each)Agreed priority messages identified.Short- and medium-term actions clarified.Clear follow-up direction defined.
Discussion of how outputs feed into:Position paper developmentGlobalABC strategic messaging (including toward COP31)Possible infrastructure coordination mechanism or hubPotential follow-up collaboration