TOPICS
TOPIC 1. Room for housing, reflecting on affordability, equity and resilience
Across Europe, many people struggle to find affordable and sustainable homes, with demand for social housing in particular exceeding supply. The European Commission is addressing this pressing issue through the Renovation Wave and the Affordable Housing Initiative, which are being implemented by a new Housing Task Force. Policymakers and city governance are struggling to meet the diverse and evolving needs of citizens, while facing societal challenges and an intensifying economic and environmental crisis. There is great emphasis on the adaptive reuse of abandoned and underused buildings and on bottom-up and participatory processes to equip citizens with suitable solutions. However, these have yet to be found to be sustainable in the long term beyond emergency responses. How to revolve renovation market models to meet the demand and accelerate carbon neutral transition? How to stimulate innovative partnerships enabling a win-win condition?
Keywords:
Awareness
Governance and multi-level policies
Housing justice
Climate pacts
Social housing
Affordable housing
Energy poverty
Energy-efficient renovation
Urban regeneration
TOPIC 2. Livability, comfort and health, reflecting on the nature of the built environment
Climate change is having an increasingly negative impact on liveability, health, and quality of life for citizens, particularly in densely populated urban areas. This influences both indoor and outdoor comfort. In response, the concept of resilience has emerged as a key approach, supported by assessment frameworks and design strategies that integrate adaptation measures involving nature-based solutions, passive and adaptive design strategies. However, more effort is needed to move beyond pilot projects and deliver scalable solutions that are tailored to diverse needs and preferences. A service- and user-centred approach is essential to ensure that open spaces and buildings remain accessible and usable under extreme climate conditions. Which strategies and practices offer promising ways to enhance user comfort and resilience? How can liveability and health be ensured for all citizens through innovative design and planning approaches?
Keywords:
Indoor/outdoor comfort
Accessibility
Usability
User-centred design
Service design
Thermal resilience
Climate adaptation
Blue–green infrastructure
Passive and adaptive design
Health and wellbeing.
TOPIC 3. Process workflow and services, reflecting on innovation in the building sector
Technical solutions and digital tools to support planning, design and construction stages have been developed and are still being improved to make construction/renovation processes faster, cheaper and more efficient. However, the sector still suffers from fragmented value chains and processes and a lack of effective exchange mechanisms among the stakeholders and key players. Driven by digital innovation in design and construction methods, prefabricated solutions can expand renovation opportunities, exploiting the potential of off/on-site assembled constructions. Finer alignment at the organizational level is now seen as the key to boosting energy transition for the next housing stock. How deep can renovation be facilitated through more integrated workflows? Which are the most promising business models and approaches behind?
Keywords:
Circular business models
Digitalization
Stakeholder engagement
Cost optimization
Artificial intelligence and machine learning in construction
Digital twins
Smart construction sites
Off-site/on-site hybrid solutions
TOPIC 4. Materials without borders, reflecting on reuse and impacts
The European construction market is struggling with inefficient use and shortage of material resources and strong dependency on outsourcing raw materials. The concepts of sufficiency and circularity of resources in the building sector emphasize the potential of making the best use of the existing building stock and reusable material banks as an alternative to virgin or new materials. But the feasibility and economic viability of such practices, as well as professional and market operators’ knowledge gaps, are still hampering their wider uptake. Which tools and assessment methods can support the reuse of existing buildings and materials? Which leverages can trigger the necessary paradigm shift and boost its uptake in real construction markets?
Keywords:
Material banks and cadastres building passports
Circularity
Design for disassembly
Design for longevity
LCA
End-of-life strategies
Waste-to-resource
Carbon neutrality in construction
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NEXTBUILT26 is promoted within the activities of SiTdA clusters Environmental Design, Housing, and Energy Climate and Architecture
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