The French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME, 2007) reports that public buildings—such as schools, offices, hospitals, museums, and others—consume nearly 75 percent of the direct energy used by local authorities. Finding a scalable solution presents an opportunity to maximise energy efficiency by integrating both passive and active solutions. The article explores whether market fragmentation is the main reason.

The public buildings sector is a complex ecosystem encompassing multiple stakeholders/segments, such as government technical officials, contractors, the financial sector, and suppliers. Often, the interests of these different parts of the supply chain are not aligned, leading to a lack of agreement on the most effective solutions for improving performance (Rawlinson, 2018[2]).

A key part of the challenge lies in the diversity of the building efficiency solutions provider sector, which includes insulation and envelope manufacturers, efficient equipment providers (like HVAC), passive design experts, and renewable energy specialists.

This range of options represents a rich market for innovation and customised solutions. However, in practice, the lack of coordination and integration among these providers often leads to confusion rather than clarity.

For example, each product category includes its own set of performance specifications, technical specifications, and compliance documentation. Without a unified comparison or evaluation framework, public sector decision-makers struggle to assess which solutions offer the best value throughout the building lifecycle. This challenge is compounded by siloed procurement processes (OECD, 2017 [3]), where thermal considerations are often separated from architectural design, energy modelling, or financing decisions.

This diversity and fragmentation are a challenge for the construction industry. It increases the risk of making isolated decisions and, consequently, missing the opportunity for transformation. As a result, many public projects settle for “safe” or known technologies, even if higher-performing alternatives exist. This limits the ability to achieve optimal energy efficiency, long-term performance, or climate resilience.

The good news is that solutions exist to help bridge that gap and address the market fragmentation, bringing significant benefits to the public building sector. One of these is EDGE.

EDGE, a green building certification system, was created a decade ago by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group. It includes powerful, free predictive modelling software designed to promote energy efficiency, reduce water usage, and encourage the use of construction materials with low embodied carbon. EDGE is a green building certification scheme that acts as a link for all stakeholders in the development, renovation, and maintenance of public buildings. By quantifying the environmental impact of buildings and integrating resource efficiency with reporting on financial and environmental impact, EDGE bridges the gap for the public building sector. It acts as a platform to improve communication and collaboration.

EDGE offers an accessible and quantifiable platform for the design and certification of resource-efficient buildings. With a minimum savings of 20 percent in energy, water, and embodied carbon in materials, EDGE helps translate environmental, energy, and water efficiency ambitions into practical design decisions. This plays an important role for the public sector because it addresses the whole value chain and brings multiple benefits to stakeholders, including solution providers, planners, institutions, and facility managers.

Sustainable Solution Providers: EDGE opens the door to public procurement by validating product performance against a globally recognised framework.

Government agencies and public planners: EDGE enables transparent project monitoring and alignment with climate action goals, including Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), green building mandates, and reducing operational costs.

Financial institutions: EDGE certification signals quality and credibility. It is increasingly used as a qualifying criterion for climate bonds, concessional lending, and blended finance instruments.

Citizens and facility managers: The long-term result is better-performing buildings that cost less to operate, provide better thermal comfort, and contribute to healthier urban environments.

A key benefit of the EDGE is its global nature. Regardless of which public building sector you work in, EDGE applies to you. Since 2015, EDGE has certified 117,400 square meters of floor area, transforming markets in over 115 countries.

Among the most notable examples is the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), which stands out as a milestone project: the first IFC EDGE Advanced-certified museum in Africa and the Middle East. Its optimised thermal design featuring a reflective roof, smart meters, and high-efficiency lighting and water fixtures delivers 60 percent energy savings and 34 percent water savings compared to traditional buildings in Egypt. This is just one example of many that demonstrates how iconic public buildings can set a new benchmark for sustainability without compromising on design or cultural heritage.

As cities and governments face increasing pressure to expand public infrastructure and reduce emissions, the need for smarter, more integrated public buildings has never been more urgent. These spaces must go beyond regulatory compliance; they must be efficient.

EDGE presents a valuable opportunity to build greener, smarter, and more collaboratively by providing a reliable, measurable solution for creating a green building ecosystem, particularly for public infrastructure. The future of public buildings depends on systems thinking, and EDGE is the framework that brings it all together.