Charting the Research Agenda for Buildings, Construction & CDR

UNU-FLORES under the Buildings Breakthrough of the Global Alliance for Buildings Construction held a session at COP30 in Belem, Brazil.  The session focused on how the buildings and construction sector can accelerate climate action through innovation, carbon dioxide removal (CDR), and stronger implementation pathways. The session was moderated by Azin Zarei, Research Associate at UNU-FLORES. 

Session Speakers: 
1.    Prof. Edeltraud Guenther, Director, United Nations University (UNU-FLORES) 
2.    Prof. Viktor Mechtcherine (TU Dresden) 
3.    Nico Fairbairn, Head of Partnerships at the State of Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) 
4.    Mina Hasman, Sustainability Director, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) (SOM) 
5.    Christiaan G. Deynoot, Founder and Executive Director of the City CDR Initiative) 
 

Key Topics Discussed 
•    Priority research areas for sustainable and resilient buildings 
•    Durable carbon storage in materials, design, and urban systems 
•    Gaps between research and policy 
•    The need to focus on implementation, not just innovation 
•    The role of global research networks in supporting evidence-based climate action 
 

The session was opened by Prof. Edeltraud Guenther, Director of UNU-FLORES, who introduced the objectives of the event and outlined why sustainable buildings are critical within the global climate agenda. She emphasized that addressing research gaps and strengthening collaboration across regions and disciplines is essential for advancing sustainable, resilient, and low-carbon solutions in the built environment. She then highlighted the most significant research gaps and priorities identified in the building sector, including climate resilience, circularity and renovation, low-carbon materials, energy-efficient technologies, and the financial and economic dimensions of sustainability. Prof. Guenther stressed that bridging these gaps will require deeper interdisciplinary cooperation and stronger connections between research, policy, and implementation. 

Following this, Prof. Viktor Mechtcherine (TU Dresden) delivered a recorded presentation highlighting the major environmental and economic pressures facing the construction sector, including its significant share of global emissions, material and energy consumption, and ongoing challenges such as low productivity, labor shortages, and high costs. He introduced CARE – Climate-Neutral and Resource-Efficient Construction, a transdisciplinary framework designed to transform the sector by integrating research on low-carbon building materials, structural design, advanced manufacturing technologies, digital methodologies, and sustainability assessment into a unified approach. Prof. Mechtcherine presented CARE’s vision for carbon-neutral, mineral-based alternatives to concrete produced from CO₂ and waste, along with material-efficient and circular structural designs. He also highlighted innovations in digital fabrication, embedded sensing, predictive maintenance, and automation to enhance productivity and safety. To ensure that breakthroughs move from research to real-world application, CARE operates through three large-scale experimental platforms: the Next-Generation Prefab Plant, the Future Technologies Construction Site at RWTH Aachen, and the CARE Life-Size Bridge near Dresden. Overall, his presentation emphasized that coordinated innovation across materials, structures, manufacturing, and digital systems is essential for achieving climate-neutral and resource-efficient construction. 

The session then continued with Nico Fairbairn (State of CDR), who introduced the core principles of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) and explained why, alongside rapid emission reductions, atmospheric CO₂ removal will be essential for meeting climate goals. He outlined several CDR pathways relevant to the built environment—such as mineral products derived from industrial waste streams, durable wood products, biobased materials, and mineral carbonation—highlighting their potential to deliver durable carbon storage at scale. He emphasized that mineral carbonation and sustainably sourced timber offer particularly promising opportunities for gigatonne-scale removals, and underscored the need for stronger collaboration between the construction and CDR communities to translate these material pathways into real-world climate impact. 

The session shifted to an interactive discussion facilitated by Prof. Guenther, inviting participants to share reflections on research priorities, barriers to implementation, and opportunities for collaboration. The exchange underscored recurring themes such as the need for stronger interdisciplinary cooperation, better integration between research and policy, and clearer pathways to scale up innovative solutions across the built environment. 

Summary of Participant Contributions  
A. Finance and Innovative Instruments 
•    The greatest potential for arbitration lies in construction and autonomous operations. Smaller interventions may deliver limited impact; large construction activities offer greater opportunities. 
•    Capital credits and financing structures are central to achieving serious decarbonization in the sector. 
B. Research Needs on Materials and Social Acceptance 
1. Social acceptance and uptake of new materials 
•    There is resistance to alternative climate-friendly materials. 
•    New materials must be cost-effective and high-quality. 
•    Research is needed to understand adoption barriers among contractors. 
2. Mineral carbonation and technical challenges 
•    Work is required on negative emissions potential and how to scale specific technologies. 
•    Understanding heterogeneity across material sources is essential. 
•    Research is needed to identify bottleneck sources.  

The objective is not only to produce scientific output but to generate real-world impact. Finance mechanisms such as capital credits and arbitration tools can play a significant role in supporting decarbonization in construction. There is strong potential for both carbon-related and carbon-free projects to enter international markets, although further research and practical experimentation are required. Key research gaps include understanding social acceptance of new materials, addressing material heterogeneity, and developing scalable approaches for mineral carbonation technologies. Overall, research efforts must align more closely with business needs, financial structures, and implementation pathways, and all discussions indicate substantial opportunities to create meaningful impact in the buildings and construction sector. 

In the closing remarks, Prof. Edeltraud Guenther highlighted the launch of the Research Network for Priority Action: Research, led by UNU-FLORES under the Buildings Breakthrough initiative and supported by the GlobalABC. The insights gathered from more than 200 experts across 22 countries are now feeding into this coordinated research network, which aims to strengthen global collaboration and align research efforts across regions and sectors.