Conference and round table on: Stop demolition – boost renovation of buildings – Stopp dem Ofrappen – d’Renovatioun an Embau vun Häiser virunn dreiwen

on Wednesday, 12 February 2025 at 6:30 p.m. at the cultural centre ‘Tramsschapp’, 49 Rue Ermesinde – 1469 Luxembourg (*)
February 2025 marks the official launch of a European Citizens’ Initiative – House of Europe!
The common goal: to ensure that the EU sets the course for making the renovation and conversion of existing buildings more attractive than demolition. This is to be achieved together with stakeholders and citizens from across the EU.
In Luxembourg, 11 stakeholders from a wide range of sectors in Luxembourg (architecture, heritage protection, university, environmental sector…) have joined forces and support the European citizens’ initiative HouseEurope!.
The campaign will be launched in Luxembourg on 12 February 2025, with a high-profile speaker followed by a discussion round. From then on, you will also be able to find the petition online on the homepage meco.lu.
Short introduction by Prof. Florian Hertweck (University of Luxembourg)
18.30: Lecture: ‘Renovate, don’t demolish’
The speaker is Arno Brandhuber, architect and co-initiator of the HouseEurope! initiative.
Arno Brandhuber will give an overview of:
– the importance of renovation instead of demolition from a cultural, ecological and social point of view;
– the impact this has on architecture and people;
– what needs to be done to promote renovation.
Arno Brandhuber is one of the most famous architects of our time. He caused a stir with, among other things, the Antivilla near Potsdam, an experimental re-use project, and the renovation of the St. Agnes Church in Berlin. In 2021, he curated the German Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale. Brandlhuber has dedicated his architectural firm b+ solely to building in existing contexts. As a professor of architecture at ETH Zurich, he experiments with new media. With Olaf Grawert and Alina Kolar, he initiated the HouseEurope citizens’ initiative!
19.00: “The Demolition Drama”
Excerpts from the film about the project present the topic in a stimulating way.
19.15: Exchange with Luxembourg stakeholders
Where does Luxembourg stand? Where do we need to start?
The following people will take part:
• Lee Franck, structural engineer
• Thécla Kisch, ecological building consultant Oekozenter Pafendall
• Philippe Nathan, architect, 2001
• Paul Ewen, Lëtzebuerger Denkmalschutz Federatioun
• Bruno Renders, Directeur Général DCEC / IFSB
• Blanche Weber, President of Mouvement Ecologique
in conversation with Arno Brandhuber and Florian Hertweck (Professor, University of Luxembourg). There will be plenty of room for interventions from the audience.
20.15: Patt
The event will conclude with a ‘standoff’, to which you are cordially invited.
(*)Partners: Centre National de la Culture Industrielle (CNCI), Esch-Alzette; Citizens for Ecological Learning and Living a.s.b.l., Luxembourg City; Cultures of Assembly (COA), Esch-Alzette; Institut national pour le patrimoine architectural (INPA), Luxembourg City;
Lëtzebuerger Denkmalschutz Federatioun (LDF), Luxembourg City; Luxembourg Center for Contemporary and Digital History (C2DH), Esch-sur-Alzette; Luxembourg Center for Architecture (LUCA), Luxembourg City; Mouvement écologique, Luxembourg City; Oekozenter Pafendall, Luxembourg City; Ordre des Architectes et Ingénieurs-Conseil (OAI), Luxembourg City; University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette;
The conference will be held in German with simultaneous interpretation into English.
The invitation is available to download here.
Bus: mobilitéit.lu
Parking spaces are available in the cultural centre’s underground car park.