International Building Safety Day (IBSD) is celebrated annually on May 22.

IBSD is a special day dedicated to promoting and celebrating building safety and the benefits it provides to the health and welfare of people worldwide. This day serves as a poignant reminder to governments, communities and all stakeholders within the built environment to uphold the importance of building safety.

Building safety encompasses more than just preventing loss of life or injury from incidents due to fire or structural failure. It also includes safeguarding the health and well-being of individuals by ensuring buildings have optimal indoor air quality, thermal comfort, weatherproofing and accessibility. Additionally, building safety considers the environmental impact, such as a building’s carbon footprint and sustainability, which can affect its safety during extreme weather events.

What is this year's theme?

The theme for IBSD this year is Built to Last, which highlights the global synergy between sustainability objectives and building safety outcomes. Constructing buildings to last has many benefits, not the least of which are:

Improved resilience to extreme weather events and geological hazards

Greater community resilience through recovery following an event
Extended building durability, which reduces maintenance and replacement costs
Optimization of the embodied carbon used in a building’s construction
Less rectification of defective building work with associated costs and disruption
All round better quality and building safety outcomes

Why celebrate International Building Safety Day?

Homes and buildings are more than just four walls and a roof – they are where we live, work, play and learn.

IBSD offers a valuable opportunity to highlight the significance of building regulatory systems, building codes and standards that establish essential safeguards in the design, construction, commissioning and maintenance of buildings. With over 60 percent of the global population expected to live in urban areas by 2050 and the building stock set to double by 2060, primarily in emerging economies, this day emphasizes the critical role of building safety in shaping resilient and sustainable built environments.

IBSD also honors the building safety professionals who work tirelessly behind the scenes to help bring building projects to life and help keep existing buildings safe.

Why celebrate International Building Safety Day?

Homes and buildings are more than just four walls and a roof – they are where we live, work, play and learn.

IBSD also honors the building safety professionals who work tirelessly behind the scenes to help bring building projects to life and help keep existing buildings safe.

How to Celebrate International Building Safety Day

Building safety affects us all – it’s important to help spread the message about the need for safe, healthy, sustainable and resilient buildings and encourage others to get involved.

Have a look around you and take a photograph within your own location or region to identify what characterizes an enduring building for you, whether old or new, to add to the IBSD gallery of buildings built to last (Click the button below to submit)
Post a resource to the IBSD library that may be useful for others to review in considering durable buildings (Click the button below to submit). Examples include:
Post to Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter recognizing IBSD and its relevance to you (use hashtag #IBSD2026), or share pre-made posts to your timeline
Hold special events in your office or at your school that highlight activities that promote or improve building safety, sustainability and resiliency
Show your support for IBSD by sharing your organization’s logo to feature on the official website (click the button below to submit)
Recognize the skilled individuals who dedicate themselves to ensuring structures are safe to use and built to modern and appropriate codes and standards
Challenge those involved in the built environment to improve the level of safety, sustainability and resilience of new and existing buildings
Highlight your organization’s work to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11 to make communities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
Celebrate the achievements and improvements in building safety in your life, business or community