World Green Building Week 2026: Building it ready
World Green Building Week 2026 runs September 7-11 and invites organizations around the world to explore how better buildings can help businesses and communities prepare for the future. This year’s theme, Build It Ready, highlights the role of buildings in strengthening resilience, improving efficiency and creating economic opportunity.
Canada has always been a nation of builders. Today, as governments, businesses and communities work to strengthen our economy, address housing affordability and adapt to a changing climate, we have an opportunity to think differently about what we build and why.
The question is no longer just how many buildings we can construct — the question is whether the buildings we invest in today will be ready for the challenges and opportunities of the decades to come.
That’s why CAGBC is proud to participate in World Green Building Week 2026 and support the World Green Building Council’s global campaign, Build It Ready. The campaign recognizes a simple but important truth: buildings are among the most effective tools we have to improve resilience, strengthen competitiveness and create long-term value.
Across Canada, the need for future-ready buildings has never been greater as governments invest at unprecedented rates in housing and infrastructure. Programs such as Build Canada Homes are designed to accelerate housing construction while supporting innovative and sustainable building methods.
As Canada strives to build more, we must also ensure we build better.
A building’s true value extends far beyond the day it opens. Performance affects utility bills, operating costs, resilience to extreme weather, occupant health and asset value. Homes, offices, schools and community facilities that are built better will deliver these benefits for decades to come. This the only way Canada can ensure its investments deliver value for the long term.
Members: Get your World Green Building Week assets & promote your #BuilditReady successes!
Built resilient
Canadian communities are already experiencing the impacts of climate change through extreme heat, flooding, storms, and wildfires that undermine air quality. Buildings designed with resilience in mind can help protect occupant health, maintain operations during disruptive weather events and reduce climate-related damage and financial risk.
Built efficient
Efficiency is often discussed as an environmental goal, but it is also a business and affordability strategy. High-performance buildings use less energy, reduce operating expenses and lower exposure to energy price volatility. Building to quality also eliminates or defers maintenance and retrofit costs. For homeowners, public- and private-sector owners alike, reducing energy demand can help improve financial results while supporting Canada’s national electricity strategy.
Built for opportunity
The market is increasingly rewarding building performance. Investors, lenders, tenants and asset owners are looking for buildings that demonstrate efficiency, resilience and create long-term value. Better-performing buildings can help attract investment, improve competitiveness and create opportunities for economic growth.
Building Canada Strong
Building performance should be at the centre of Canada’s housing, infrastructure and economic development strategies.
Whether through building performance standards, benchmarking and disclosure, deep retrofits, energy-efficient housing or resilient infrastructure, the goal is the same: ensuring that the buildings we invest in today continue to deliver value for decades to come.
World Green Building Week is an opportunity for our sector to showcase the projects, organizations and people helping make that future possible. As Canada advances nation-building initiatives and works to address housing affordability, economic competitiveness and climate resilience, these projects show how green buildings offer a practical path forward.