How are artificial intelligence, big data, digital twins and extended reality transforming the way we build our cities? Is it possible to decarbonise an industry? What should 21st century buildings and infrastructure look like? These and other questions will be addressed at Tomorrow.Building, the new debate and exhibition forum that Fira de Barcelona is launching to support the transformation of the construction sector, jointly held with Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC), from 7 to 9 November at the Gran Via venue.
The construction industry is crucial in order to achieve global energy and environmental goals. According to data from the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction’s (GlobalABC) ‘World Buildings and Construction Status Report 2022’, around 100 billion tonnes of waste worldwide is caused by construction, renovation and demolition, and around 35% is sent to landfills. The sector is also responsible for one third of global energy consumption and emissions. This is why international institutions are developing action plans to make new zero-emission buildings within a decade and to retrofit existing structures to move from passive, inefficient energy consumers to active participants in the energy system.
In this context and in the face of complex future challenges, Fira de Barcelona is launching Tomorrow.Building, an initiative that aims to contribute to a positive change in the way buildings and infrastructures are planned, built, refurbished and managed. It will do so through an international meeting where industry leaders, experts, entrepreneurs and government officials will gather to promote this transition towards a more circular, digital and ecological sector, also taking into account its impact on the real estate market, as well as on accessibility to housing.
During three days, Tomorrow.Building will arrange a conference programme together with an exhibition space with the most innovative firms in the industry to tackle key issues such as digital and sustainable construction, renovation and decarbonisation of buildings, smart buildings and infrastructures, circular economy, Facility Management or PropTech.
The director of Tomorrow.Building, Ione Ruete, said that “the aim is to bring together the entire sustainable construction ecosystem to share the advances that are already transforming this industry. BIM, new materials, smart buildings, digital twins, robotics and 3D printing are the present that should help us transform the construction of the cities of the future to make them more sustainable, resource-efficient, resilient and inclusive”.
In this way, the new initiative will provide the content on the construction sector as a key player in the design of the cities of the future for SCEWC, the world’s largest event on cities and urban innovation, which in its last edition gathered over 20,000 attendees and more than 700 cities from 140 countries.
