Africa-Wide Green Building Research Challenge 2026

Abstract

The Africa-wide Green Building Research Challenge project seeks to advance sustainable development knowledge across the African built environment through a mixed-methods research framework that combines a continental design competition with a structured cross-country survey. The initiative aims to sensitize architects, developers, and allied professionals to the principles of green building while generating evidence-based insights to monitor and strengthen Africa’s academic and practical knowledge base on sustainability. The design challenge invites participants to propose climate-responsive, culturally relevant, and resource-efficient solutions for greening architectural spaces within their local contexts, thereby producing a repository of innovative design ideas grounded in real environmental conditions. Complementing this, a structured survey instrument assesses the current status of green building awareness, adoption levels, perceived benefits, operational challenges, and market penetration across various African regions.

Data from design outputs and survey responses will be synthesized into an annual publishable research report that highlights key thematic patterns, regional disparities, emerging opportunities, and barriers affecting green building uptake. The study contributes to a growing continental discourse on sustainable architecture, offering practical insights for policy, curriculum development, industry reform, and future research. Ultimately, the project serves as a catalyst for strengthening Africa’s capacity to design, implement, and scale climate-resilient and energy-efficient building solutions.