News & Press

In 2001, a devastating earthquake in Gujarat, India, destroying nearly a million homes and killing over 20,000 people, brought to light a critical, often overlooked aspect of disaster recovery: the resilience of our homes. This event not only shattered lives but also exposed the vulnerability of our built environment to natural disasters.

Build Change is highlighted for its proactive approach to resiliency, focusing on reinforcing homes in vulnerable areas like Medellín, Colombia, before disasters strike, which proves to be more carbon-efficient and cost-effective than rebuilding. This organization’s work is essential in areas with informal dwellings prone to earthquakes, demonstrating the value of pre-emptive measures in disaster management and sustainable construction.

Build Change plays a crucial role in the World Economic Forum’s focus on sustainable construction in informal settlements, particularly by collaborating with microfinance institutions in the Philippines to support affordable and incremental housing improvements for low- and middle-income families. This initiative is part of a broader effort to ensure housing in global urban informal settlements is safe, accessible, and sustainable, addressing the needs of the 1.1 billion people living in such areas while emphasizing climate-friendly, affordable, and inclusive construction practices.

The Cities Alliance Secretariat’s position paper, resulting from a working group on sustainable construction for the urban poor, emphasizes the need for affordable, low-carbon, and circular construction methods to support sustainable urban development. The paper highlights the role of governments in creating supportive policies and regulations, while focusing on the circular economy’s principles to address challenges such as CO2 emissions, advocating for inclusivity, affordability, and environmental sustainability in construction practices.

On 4 December 2023, the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) released a position paper titled ‘Social Impact across the Built Environment: Prioritising People throughout the building life cycle’. This paper outlines a framework for the building and construction sector to focus on social impact at every stage of the building life cycle, aiming to achieve an equitable and resilient future for all.

Build Change has been named as a key partner of the Sharm El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda to deliver climate-resilient housing as part of the first comprehensive global plan to enhance re

Build Change, a leader in strengthening disaster-resilient homes and buildings, will advocate for climate-resilient housing and sustainable urban development at the 28th UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai. The organization will present innovative solutions for climate-resilient housing, engage in policy advocacy, and emphasize the benefits of homeowner-driven retrofitting, showcasing its commitment to transforming housing systems and making sustainable, resilient housing accessible globally.

Build Change, as part of the REHOUSE initiative launched by WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities, is working to accelerate progress towards equitable and climate-ready cities through resilient and affordable housing integrated with basic services. Elizabeth Hausler, Founder & CEO of Build Change, emphasized the necessity of a systemic and equitable approach to housing to strengthen urban resiliency and reduce losses in climate-vulnerable populations.

Build Change, a leader in resilient housing solutions, has released a significant report, “Saving Embodied Carbon Through Strengthening Existing Housing,” demonstrating the carbon-saving potential of retrofitting existing housing for disaster resilience. This report, ahead of the UN COP28 climate conference, emphasizes the dual benefits of climate adaptation and mitigation through preventive upgrades, revealing that retrofitting is more carbon-efficient than new construction and crucial for sustainable, resilient housing globally.

The second progress report of the Race to Resilience Campaign at COP28 highlights joint efforts towards climate resilience, with actions set to enhance the resilience of 1.87 billion people and a mobilization of $39.44 billion by Partners. Build Change’s Climate Resilient Housing Initiative notably contributed by reaching 1 million safer people in 2022, implementing Colombia’s first technical guideline AIS 410-23 to strengthen informal housing resilience, benefiting over 4 million Colombians, and being recognized for a pilot project in Honduras as one of the top social innovations of 2022, with ongoing work in multiple countries including new partnerships in Mexico, Turkey, and Mozambique.