In anticipation of COP26 in Glasgow, the Architects’ Council of Europe  has organised a public conference, on Thursday 28 October in Brussels to discuss the solutions that a high-quality architecture can offer to mitigate climate change and help our society to adapt its effects.

It focused on the mindset and attitude towards the built environment that is required to initiate quality planning processes – a prerequisite for the design of low-carbon and climate resilient buildings, public spaces and cities. The event will be designed as an opportunity to discuss ongoing EU policy initiatives (EU Climate Law, Renovation Wave strategy, New European Bauhaus), as well as city and landscape planning, mobility, circular economy, re-use of the heritage – through some architectonically excellent projects.

The conference was opened by Anna HERINGER, Winner of the 2021 New European Bauhaus Awards in the category “Solutions for the co-evolution of built environment and nature” followed in the afternoon by a keynote speech by Martin RAUCH, Winner of the 2021 New European Bauhaus Awards in the category “Techniques, materials and processes for construction and design. Read more about all the speakers here.

In April 2021, the Union’s co-legislators reached a provisional agreement on the European Climate Law, which, or the first time, enshrines in the EU legislation the objective of becoming the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050. In order to reach this objective, legislators have set the intermediary target to cut Union’s greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030. Urgent and bold actions targeting the built environment are indispensable for meeting our climate ambitions. Indeed, our living and working spaces are responsible for 36% of greenhouse gas emissions and 40% of the energy consumption in the EU. Yet, in today’s Europe, 75 % of buildings are not energy efficient, mostly because a large part of the existing building stock was constructed before building codes were in place.  

The Architects’ Council of Europe promotes a holistic approach towards the built environment – an approach that, beyond energy efficiency considerations, seeks to create economic, social, environmental and cultural value through the built environment, for the benefit of all. At the same time, renovations strategies should aim to both optimise the energy performance of buildings and preserve and enhance the quality of the built environment. Particular attention should be paid to our built heritage, whether it is listed heritage or not.