ACAN—the Architects Climate Action Network—is a UK-registered network of people working in architecture and related built-environment professions to address climate and ecological breakdown. It focuses on changing how the built environment is made, operated and renewed, using campaigning, public engagement, research and knowledge-sharing to support wider change in the profession and construction industry.21
The network began in London in April 2019 and formally launched that autumn with an “Architects Assembly” at the Building Centre. It is registered in the UK as a Community Benefit Society; its legal name is Architects Climate Action Network Limited.2 Joe Giddings is identified as a co-founder and former campaigns coordinator.5
ACAN’s campaigns have included calls to regulate embodied carbon, the Households Declare initiative and “Paper Planes,” which drew attention to aviation expansion projects.2 The network also holds events and provides a platform for people to organise collectively and share knowledge.27 Its UK organisation has several hundred card-carrying members and a wider network of participants, supporters and observers.2
Although ACAN originated in London and is registered in the UK, its reach extends beyond the country: the organisation says groups in several other countries are linked through an international coordinating forum.2 It does not have a central location; its members are based across the UK and meet online and in person.11