{"id":13748,"date":"2025-06-05T11:10:04","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T11:10:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aus.arquitectes.cat\/jornada-house-europe-never-demolish-al-coac-una-crida-a-prioritzar-la-renovacio-sostenible\/"},"modified":"2025-06-05T11:40:50","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T11:40:50","slug":"jornada-house-europe-never-demolish-al-coac-una-crida-a-prioritzar-la-renovacio-sostenible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aus.arquitectes.cat\/en\/jornada-house-europe-never-demolish-al-coac-una-crida-a-prioritzar-la-renovacio-sostenible\/","title":{"rendered":"House Europe! Never Demolish Day at COAC: a call to prioritize sustainable renovation"},"content":{"rendered":"

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On Monday, June 2nd, the COAC headquarters hosted the event \u201cHouse Europe! Never Demolish\u201d,<\/strong> organized by COAC, the Mies van der Rohe Foundation, and AUS \u2013 Architecture and Sustainability, as part of the Decarbonizing Architecture<\/em> project and within the framework of the Barcelona Architecture Weeks.<\/p>\n

The session began with an institutional welcome by Greta Tresserra<\/strong> (COAC \/ AUS), who emphasized the importance of promoting structural changes in the construction sector to tackle the climate crisis, placing the renovation and reuse of buildings at the center of decarbonization strategies<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Anna Ramos<\/strong>, director of the Mies van der Rohe Foundation and host of the event,\u00a0 introduced Ivan Blasi<\/strong>, the Foundation\u2019s Director of Awards and Programs, who presented the European Citizens\u2019 Initiative House Europe! <\/strong>Upon discovering about the proposal\u2014led by architects such as Lacaton & Vassal<\/strong>\u2014Blasi took on the role of National Organising Member for Spain<\/strong>, actively supporting its dissemination and implementation.<\/p>\n

\u201cHouse Europe! Never demolish\u201d<\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n

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The initiative promotes a paradigm shift in the construction sector<\/strong>, prioritizing the renovation and reuse of existing buildings<\/strong> over their demolition. It proposes, among other measures:<\/p>\n

\u2013 tax incentives<\/strong> for building renovation and material reuse,
\u2013 the implementation of mandatory EU-wide standards<\/strong>,
\u2013 and the expansion of life-cycle assessments<\/strong> of existing buildings, including embedded CO\u2082<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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In order for the initiative to be considered by the European Commission<\/strong>, 1 million signatures<\/strong> must be collected by January 2026<\/strong>. You can support it here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The session continued with the screening of the documentary \u201cPower to Renovation \u2013 A Question of Value\u201d<\/strong>, which reinforces the need to prioritize rehabilitation over the dominant new construction model<\/strong>. You can watch the full video of the session here<\/strong><\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n

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Following the documentary, a round table discussion<\/strong> was held, moderated by Anna Ramos<\/strong>, with the participation of:<\/p>\n