July 2024
The Master in Architecture Programme joins HouseEurope!

The Master in Architecture Programme joins HouseEurope!, a European Citizens’ Initiative advocating for EU-legislation that boosts the renovation of existing buildings and stops their demolition driven by speculation.

Today, buildings are treated as investments rather than spaces for people to live in. Due to financial speculation, millions of square meters sit empty and ruined or are demolished and replaced. By 2050, we will have demolished 2 billion square meters of existing space in Europe and have built billions of square meters of new space as a replacement for what was already there. ?This practice creates social, economic, environmental, and cultural problems as demolition comes with a loss of homes, jobs, energy, and history.

HouseEurope! wants to create incentives that make renovation the new norm. This will boost the renovation market and give new value to what is already there. The goal is to preserve homes and communities, ensure a fairer and more local building industry, save energy and resources, and preserve our memories and stories.

As a European Citizens' Initiative, if one million EU citizens from at least seven countries support a cause, the European Commission must consider the proposal and form a working group. Many individuals, groups, and initiatives are actively working on advocating for a social-ecological transformation of the existing building stock. HouseEurope! supports these efforts and strives to bring their expertise and tools to the table. In more than fifteen years of developing adaptive reuse and renovation projects, HouseEurope! has built a practice that considers legislation, advocacy, and storytelling as active design tools. By uniting everyone to join in and support the call, HouseEurope! aims for an alternative to the current legislation that favors demolition and reconstruction over renovation and adaptation.

For more information visit:
HouseEurope!