Wednesday, 14 October 2026, 11.00 – 14.30
Österreich Haus Brüssel
Avenue de Cortenbergh 4-10, B-1040 Brüssel
Online participation possible
How can we use our limited resources to create a better, more sustainable and liveable Alpine Space? Communities are increasingly faced with the challenge of reconciling two seemingly opposing demands: development pressure on the one hand and the need to take protection interests into account on the other. Construction projects promise investment or much-needed housing, while at the same time raising concerns about traffic, land consumption, and agriculture. Land is a finite resource. The Alpine region, traditionally shaped by topographically constrained and very limited spaces, can very well serve as a model for thoughtfully negotiated settlement patterns.
The Interreg Alpine Space Project BROKERINGSPACES explored the best approaches to ensure responsible use that fairly balances the different demands such as affordable housing, economic development, efficient mobility and sustainability and quality of life and the built environment and to support communities and regions to develop a shared vision for their territory.
The BROKERINGSPACES team together with the Architects Council of Europe (ACE) will discuss the key findings of the project, present the most efficient tools and approaches to overcome the existing problems and raise the awareness for the crucial role of the planning professions in such processes.
Additionally, two other Interreg Alpine Space projects sharing the vision of sustainable affordable and high-quality building based on responsible use of resources will add their perspectives, approaches and results:
BAUHALPS currently explores how sustainability, aesthetics and cultural identity can come together in the Alpine building sector – connecting New European Bauhaus principles with sustainability measurements, indicators and local knowledge while SIMPLIFY looks at how legal and administrative barriers can prevent innovative, resource-efficient construction. Researchers, construction professionals and public authorities develop and test practical solutions, including approaches to simplifying permitting processes and modular legal blueprints.
The discussion addresses architects and other planning professions as well as representatives of communities and other local, regional, national and European public authorities involved in building and spatial planning issues and interested citizens.
Please register HERE for on site and online participation
PROGRAMME
Moderation: Katharina Erdmenger, Secretary General, Architects’ Council of Europe
10:45–11:00 Arrival of participants
11:00–11:30 Welcome address and opening remarks
Michaela Petz-Michez
Head of the Salzburg Liaison Office to the EU in Brussels
Claus Binder
Common Representative of the Austrian Federal States at the Austrian Permanent Representation to the EU
Thomas Fleury
Head of Joint Secretariat, Interreg Alpine Space
Daniel Fügenschuh
Architect, President of the Architects’ Council of Europe and one of the initiators of the BrokeringSpaces project: Why We Urgently Need to Rethink Land Use: Architects for Sustainable, Affordable and High-Quality Baukultur
11:30–12:00
Johannes Pressl (online, in German)
President of the Austrian Association of Municipalities
Baukultur at Local Level: The Challenge of Land Use from a Community Perspective
Carmen Kiefer
Vice Mayor of Kuchl and member of the Commission for Natural Resources of the European Committee of the Regions
Integrated Development as a Way to Strengthen Resilience in Rural Areas, Cities and Regions
12:00–12:45
Robert Krasser
Expert at the Salzburg Institute for Spatial Planning and Housing (SIR) and BrokeringSpaces Lead Partner. Beyond Greenwashing: Negotiating Land Use Before It Is Too Lat
Lessons learned from the Interreg Alpine Space project BrokeringSpaces on how municipalities can retain control of land-use decisions before projects become politically, visually and financially locked in.
BrokeringSpaces offers practical tools for municipalities and policy-makers: clearer red lines, stronger public-value arguments and better negotiation formats for dealing with investors, landowners and local conflicts. Because adding a bit of green around a bad project is still not a land-use strategy.
Common discussion of key findings and possible solutions
12:45–13:15
Werner Balika (online)
Head of Technology and Cluster Programmes, Innovation Salzburg/ BAUHALPS: The Austrian Pilot “Keep on Building” — How an Old Farmhouse Becomes a Model for the Future
Maria Rehbogen (online)
Head of Research and Future Topics, Zukunftsagentur Bau Austria. SIMPLIFY — Unlocking Innovation for Affordable, Sustainable Construction
13:15–13:30
Daniel Fügenschuh. Summary and Outlook
Afterwards: Networking lunch
O nás
Interreg Alpine Space programme
The Interreg Alpine Space programme finances cooperation projects across the borders of seven Alpine countries. It tackles common challenges and improves the quality of life of the 80 million inhabitants of the Alpine region. The programme addresses public authorities on national, regional and local level, institutions of higher education, as well as enterprises, business support organisations, NGOs and associations.
The Architects’ Council of Europe is the representative organisation for architecture at European level. Through its 53 Member Organisations, ACE represents the interests of over half a million architects from 36 countries in Europe. ACE’s Vision is to achieve greater recognition of the value of architecture – through engagement, outreach, research and advocacy – the cultural legacy of architecture and its contribution to the quality of life of citizens.
The BrokeringSpaces Interreg Alpine Space Project is an EU-funded initiative in the Alpine region addressing the challenges of sustainable land use and spatial development. The project focuses on the responsible management of the scarce resource of land, tackling competing land-use demands, and developing instruments for forward-looking land management.
For the Alps, the critical challenge is to rules and encouraging the adoption of common standards across the building value chain. BAUHALPS addresses the challenge to use local resources effectively while ensuring the consistent application of EU by developing and testing a model that combines New European Bauhaus concepts with sustainability measurements and indicators in an innovative way.
Complex regulations and liability concerns can pose a major barrier for affordable, resource-efficient building. Through SIMPLIFY, researchers, construction professionals and public authorities develop practical solutions that make building approaches easier to implement within existing frameworks.
