World Goal Pavilions

How can architects and the rest of the construction industry contribute to achieving the UN World Goals and the development of a sustainable world where everyone can have a roof over their heads, access to toilets and clean drinking water, health and communities? This is the central issue of the UIA World Congress of Architects entitled “Sustainable Futures — Leave No One Behind”, which runs from 2-6 July this year. And this is also the starting point for the 10-15 World Goal pavilions that will shoot up over spring and summer in Copenhagen.

The project has been initiated and launched by the Association of Architects and the UIA World Congress of Architects 2023 in collaboration with the City of Copenhagen and City & Havn — and will be part of the Capital of Architecture programme Copenhagen In Common. These days, 17 dedicated teams are working diligently to develop and test materials, get the pavilions finished and the final building permits in house. Most of them will be ready during May and form the framework for a series of events aimed at interested Copenhageners, tourists and not least the many professionals who will visit Copenhagen in connection with the World Congress of Architects.

“We are experiencing a huge drive among architects and the rest of the construction industry to contribute new and more sustainable materials, building methods, housing concepts, etc., and there is a need for us to give space to experiment. Together with the City of Copenhagen and City & Havn, we have therefore made an open invitation to the industry to present their visions for how we can contribute to sustainable development. And just this year, we have a unique opportunity to show and discuss the solutions of the future with professionals and other interested parties who have their eyes on Denmark during the Year of Architecture and not least the World Congress of Architects in July,” says Lars Autrup, Director of the Association of Architects.

From modern half-timbering to down-to-earth sanitation solution with the toilet as a meeting place

Just as the UN Global Goals contain a complex set of goals and sub-goals on social, economic and environmental sustainability, the SDGs seek to provide answers to widely varying challenges. The solutions range from a wind and weather tower, with reference to the Greek “The Tower of Wind”, where you can follow climate developments, among other things realtid, to the “Architects Without Borders” biocenter, which focuses on the importance of the toilet and sanitary conditions for health and social cohesion in the world's poor cities. Other pavilions build on collaborations between architects and the materials industry to develop systems and methods for recycling, for example, concrete elements from 60's and 70's social housing buildings or recycling plastic.

A common denominator for all the pavilions is that, in keeping with the theme of the World Congress “Leave No One Behind”, they are designed so that they are accessible to all and are constructed with a view to responsible consumption of materials. In addition, the pavilions comply with one or more of the UN's 17 World Goals and must be able to be reduced and used in other contexts for the sake of climate and reduction of construction resource consumption.

New and strong partnerships

The pavilions are all built on the basis of partnerships across the architectural and construction industries and between private companies and actors, industry partners, research institutions and foundations. Together, they will test and demonstrate how sustainable development can be addressed through the 17th World Goal: New Partnerships.

Each team has found funding and applied for planning permission and will host events in the pavilions over the summer — not least in connection with the World Congress of Architects: “Sustainable Cities — Leave No One Behind”.

The teams behind the World Goals pavilions are currently at different points in the process. Some pavilions are under construction, such as the “Livesteder” pavilions in the Housing Workshop in Jernbanebyen, others will shoot up continuously. Below is a brief description of selected projects that have progressed relatively far in the process.