Work is in progress, in Dresden, to become climate neutral in the next few years. The German city, after being selected as one of the 100 European Cities to address this challenge by 2030, chose the Johannstadt neighborhood as its pilot area.

Internationally renowned for the stunning architecture of its City of Arts and Sciences, by local architect Santiago Calatrava, the Spanish city of Valencia has been this year selected among the 100 European cities that will take up the challenge to become climate neutral by 2030.

Beauty in architecture is often expensive, while sustainability should be affordable and widespread. Does this mean that aesthetics and sustainability are in conflict? Or can one integrate the other? Solutions exist. What we need is a cultural revolution.

House units which can be reassembled into other buildings. Citizens’ groups volunteering to renovate the existing stock with natural materials. And an EU project testing innovative solution, to involve users and institutions in a new sustainable model. When the housing sector goes circular, waste and emissions go down.

Earth is not only our precious planet, but a building material that can guide one of the planet’s most emissions-heavy sectors towards a carbon-neutral, sustainable future

One hundred years on, the influential building, art and design movement is born again amid Europe’s push to reduce emissions in the carbon-heavy housing sector. Like its forerunner of the 1920s, the New European Bauhaus is designed for form, function, good looks and community uplift – with some 21st century additions too

Glass in architecture has been recently used more intensively thanks to developments in its manufacturing

When energy-saving measures are planned in social housing buildings, the environmental aim is combined with the scope of reducing inequality. In Zaragoza, Spain, a team of social workers is helping the tenants of a multi-family building to accept a challenging refurbishment

In many EU countries multi-family dwellings represent the dominant residential solution. But structural renovations to cut emissions and save energy may be a real challenge in such contexts, if the communities are not properly involved in the process

In the EU, the main use of energy by households is for heating their homes, and is therefore highly contributing to greenhouse gas emissions

Energy-saving devices and ‘smart speakers’ are selling in record-breaking numbers, and driving hi-tech market development. However, obstacles remain due to a lack of digital skills among consumers and inconsistent service level

While the United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC) takes place from the 2^nd to the 14^th of December 2018 in Katowice, Poland, we have been investigating how district heating can contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases.

December 5 is UN World Soil Day. The building industry has thus been called to account for its role in the massive use of mineral raw materials and environmental pollution. One solution comes from the bio-construction sector which draws on unlimited sources of natural materials such as hemp, which is a recyclable carbon sequestrator. But how comfortable is it to live in a hemp house?

Involving citizens is the biggest challenge to finalise large-scale energy efficiency works in neighbourhoods. An emblematic story comes from Valladolid, Spain, where “no, we can’t” has become “yes, we can”

Italy may be emblematic in the energy rehabilitation of buildings because of its red tape and ever-changing tax incentives

The building sector is the largest energy-consuming sector in Europe. As retrofitting works are often unaffordable for people who own apartments in old blocks, the EU has had to step in

Throughout Europe buildings are still responsible for 40% of energy consumption and 36% of CO₂ emissions. More renovation of the existing stock is needed. This is where citizens come into play

A new sustainable initiative in Bristol, in the UK, uses bio-based materials to face the need for additional and affordable housing supply

People are increasingly testing smart control systems to curb energy use, while maximising the amount of renewables employed in the process