Recognising champions across building activities, typologies, and contexts.
Discover the buildings achieving the highest real reductions in energy consumption — selected across countries, climates and asset types.
Verified reductions in energy use over time
Continuous optimisation beyond initial design
Strategies that can be applied across portfolios
Significant contribution to energy and carbon reduction
The most outstanding performers are crowned World Champions there by the GlobalABC jury.
Position your buildings among global leaders and gain international visibility.
Demonstrate operational excellence and benchmark performance.
Identify real-world examples to inform policy.
Establish a new reference point for building performance.
A building is only ever compared with true peers. Every entry is classified on three dimensions — how it is improving, what it is used for, and the climate it operates in. The best building in each resulting category becomes a Climate Region Champion.
Three pathways reflect where a building is in its lifecycle. Each is measured in the way that best captures real progress for that kind of building.
| Pathway | Building type | Assessed on | Simplified formula |
|---|---|---|---|
| OPEX | Existing — For buildings improved through operations only — controls, scheduling, maintenance, occupant engagement — with no major works. | Relative energy savings (%) versus the building's own historical baseline. Using the IPMVP Option C method, historical energy data is used to create a baseline model that can predict typical energy use in different conditions. This model is used to predict energy use during the monitoring period and compare the prediction to actual energy use. | Relative energy savings = (Predicted energy use during monitoring period − Actual energy use during monitoring period) ÷ Predicted energy use during monitoring period |
| CAPEX | Renovated — For buildings improved through retrofit or refurbishment, where the fuel mix should change, and thus improvements are measured in emissions rather than energy alone. | Relative carbon emissions reduction (%) versus the building's own historical baseline. The same method as the OPEX pathway is used to compare predicted versus actual energy use; however, this energy use is converted to its associated emissions using the relevant emission factors for fuel type. | Carbon equivalent emissions (CO₂e) = Energy consumption per fuel × Emission factor of relevant fuel. Relative emissions reduction = (Predicted emissions during monitoring period − Actual emissions during monitoring period) ÷ Predicted emissions during monitoring period |
| NEW | New — For new construction buildings that are operationally excellent by design. | Budget Consumption Percentage — based on an allocated energy budget derived from recognised decarbonisation pathways. | Allocated energy budget = Target energy intensity × Building's usable floor area. Budget Consumption Percentage = (Normalised energy consumption ÷ Allocated energy budget) × 100 |
The NEW pathway only exists for Office, Education, and Public Buildings.
Buildings compete only against others of the same activity, so a hospital is never measured against a warehouse.
| Activity type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Office | Companies, workplaces, and headquarters. |
| Retail & Commercial | Shopping centres, bakeries, supermarkets. |
| Hospitality & Tourism | Hotels, apartment rentals, hostels, and restaurants. |
| Healthcare | Doctors' offices, hospitals, first-aid centres. |
| Education | Schools, universities. |
| Culture, Sports & Leisure | Gymnasiums, yoga studios, and football stadiums. |
| Logistics & Semi-Industrial | Warehouses, light manufacturing, and production facilities. |
| Public Buildings | State institutions, town halls. |
Buildings are grouped by climate (Köppen-Geiger system) so that heating- and cooling-driven demand are compared fairly.
| Climate Region | Typical conditions |
|---|---|
| Cold | Continental, boreal, and alpine climates — long heating seasons, low winter temperatures, high heating demand. |
| Temperate | Oceanic and Mediterranean climates — moderate seasonal variation, balanced heating and cooling. |
| Tropical | Tropical and subtropical zones — consistently elevated temperatures, high humidity, cooling-driven demand. |
| Dry | Arid and semi-arid zones — low precipitation, high solar exposure, large temperature swings. |
A comparison category combines all three dimensions — Activity Type × Performance Pathway × Climate Region. The top building in each category becomes a Climate Region Champion and goes forward to the International Sustainable Buildings Competition at COP31. See how you become a World Champion.
Performance is assessed based on measured reductions in energy consumption between a defined historical baseline and a monitoring period. The focus is on real, observed improvement under actual operating conditions.
Existing and renovated buildings are assessed based on their relative reduction in energy consumption (%).
The focus is on the magnitude of energy savings achieved over time, reflecting real performance improvements under operational conditions.
Performance is evaluated relative to national baselines or prevailing market standards. Depending on their level of improvement compared to these benchmarks, buildings are assigned a corresponding performance level.
Only buildings exceeding minimum performance thresholds are eligible for publication.
Publication is optional and remains fully controlled by the submitting organisation.
Submit verified consumption data, assess your performance, and qualify for national and global recognition.
Private or public entities operating non-residential buildings.
Operators managing building energy performance.
National or regional bodies launching a League.
To generate results, four categories of data must be completed:
Used to categorise and benchmark your building:
Data requirements depend on the building's pathway:
Once the consumption period is defined, candidates must add the different energy meters for the building.
Energy types include: Electricity, Gas, Fuel oil, District heating/cooling, Biomass, Generator.
To refine performance analysis, candidates may provide contextual data known as Usage Factors:
All issues must be resolved by the candidate before results are generated.
