SBE was founded in 2000 and is now organized on a three-year cycle.

Its goal is to promote innovative policies and the development of concrete projects in the field of sustainable urban growth. This goal is pursued through meetings between delegates, conferences, the dissemination of peer-reviewed papers, and the organization of related events and exhibitions.

A second goal is to support the international exchange of innovative ideas and points of view.

SBE Series is the result of collaboration between four international organizations:

• International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (CIB, https://cibworld.org)
• International Initiative for a Sustainable Built Environment (iiSBE, https://iisbe.org)
• United Nations Environment Programme (https://www.unep.org)
• International Federation of Consulting Engineers (https://fidic.org)