BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 20. Adapting physical structures to climate change and bolstering the resilience of urban environments stands as a central challenge facing the global construction industry, Emmanuel Normant, Vice President for Sustainable Development at the French company Saint-Gobain, said, Trend reports.
The executive made the remarks during a business roundtable on affordable housing finance held within the framework of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku.
In his address, Normant referenced the results of an annual global survey conducted by Bouygues dedicated to sustainable construction trends. According to the poll, which surveyed 4,800 construction industry professionals and 30,000 citizens across 30 countries, public awareness of sustainable building concepts remains high, with 94% of participants having heard of the concept and 67% expressing a clear understanding of the topic.
"However, the research captures a substantial gap between theoretical awareness and practical implementation," Normant pointed out. "Only 30% of industry professionals actively execute sustainable building projects, while 55% plan to deploy them. Among municipal authorities, 86% view sustainability as a critical public procurement benchmark, yet a mere 20% have previously rejected project proposals for failing to meet these criteria," he said.
He noted that in regions highly exposed to climate risks, resilience increasingly shapes the local definition of sustainable building. For instance, 42% of respondents in Africa and 41% in the Middle East directly link sustainable construction to the capacity of physical assets to withstand environmental and climatic threats.
Normant emphasized that climate adaptation translates into a current operational necessity rather than a distant future scenario.
"Concurrently, the financial sector grapples with an inherent asymmetry: adaptation outlays incur immediately, whereas the economic yield materializes down the road through mitigated losses and extended asset longevity," he stressed.
He also drew attention to a shifting sentiment within the industry, noting that for the first time in the survey's history, fewer than half of the respondents (47%) perceive sustainable construction as yielding greater overall value - in terms of economic, social, and environmental efficiency - when compared to traditional building practices.
To bridge this gap between strategic ambition and daily practice, Arup, in coordination with Saint-Gobain, compiled a specialized report focusing on structural climate adaptation. The document underscores that by the year 2050, roughly 80% of Europe's building stock will consist of structures that already stand today, identifying the retrofitting and modernizing of existing real estate portfolios as a critical priority track.
Today marks the fourth day of WUF13 in Baku.
The first day included a ministerial meeting dedicated to the New Urban Agenda, a ministerial roundtable, assemblies for women and civil society, business sessions, and discussions on urban prosperity. An official ceremony marking the raising of the UN and Azerbaijani flags also took place.
The second day stood out for the inaugural Leaders' Summit, featuring high-level discussions on the global housing crisis, urbanization policy, and urban resilience. Concurrently, the opening of the Mexico City pavilion took place, serving as a significant platform for expanding cooperation with the Latin American region and preparing for WUF14.
The third day of WUF13 featured a comprehensive program of events covering the global housing crisis, the formation of safe and inclusive cities, climate resilience, artificial intelligence and urban governance, green urbanization, social equity, and sustainable transport.
WUF13, which has attracted more than 40,000 registered participants from 182 countries, will continue until May 22. Held under the theme “Housing the world: Safe and resilient cities and communities,” the forum brings together governments, international organizations, experts, and representatives of civil society to strengthen global cooperation in the field of sustainable urban development.
