ASEAN BUILT: Accelerating Investment for Sustainable Buildings

The IKI project Asia Low Carbon Buildings Transition (ALCBT) aims to significantly reduce emissions by catalyzing the transition to low carbon buildings and has now launched a flagship regional platform to boost investment in sustainable buildings.

The ALCBT Project works in Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. It officially launched the ASEAN BUILT (Building Investment for Low-Carbon Transition) Platform at the 25th ASEAN Energy Business Forum, held under Malaysia’s 2025 ASEAN Chairmanship. YAB Datuk Amar Haji Fadillah bin Haji Yusof, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation of Malaysia, cited the launch as one of the priority economic deliverables and key initiatives for 2025 in his opening remarks at the Forum. 

Funded by the Government of Germany through the IKI, the platform is the first regional one-stop shop of its kind, dedicated to unlocking investment in sustainable buildings by providing data-driven tools and connecting stakeholders across ASEAN’s building sector.

Accelerating Sustainable Buildings Across ASEAN

With buildings accounting for 22% of the region’s energy consumption in 2022, a figure projected to rise by 56% by 2050, the platform will serve as a key enabler in advancing the goals of the newly endorsed ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation 2026-2030, which includes a target of reducing energy intensity by 40% by 2030. 

ASEAN BUILT has four key features: 

• Project Database: A database for low-carbon building projects in the ASEAN region. 
• Low Carbon Calculator: Assessment tools to calculate potential energy savings, carbon reductions, and key financial metrics like return on investment. 
• Investment Matchmaking: A function that connects building owners with a network of financial institutions to attract investment and secure financing. 
• Knowledge Sharing Hub: A resource center featuring best practices, a directory of technology and energy service providers. 

Closing the financing gap

The platform was officially launched by the Executive Director of the ASEAN Centre for Energy. By connecting project developers with investors, ASEAN-BUILT aims to close the financing gap that has slowed progress in the region’s green building transition. The initiative supports ASEAN’s target to cut energy intensity by 40% by 2030. Officials from ministries across the region have expressed their support for the platform, highlighting its role in driving sustainable transformation in the building sector.

Nanthika Thangsupanich, Director-General at Thailand’s Ministry of Energy, said “the ALCBT project is a crucial initiative to substantially reduce sectoral greenhouse gas emissions and catalyze Thailand’s transition towards low-carbon buildings.” In addition, the ASEAN-BUILT platform will accelerate these goals by mobilizing financing for low-carbon buildings and addressing systemic and technical barriers not only in Thailand but across ASEAN.