Leading the way – setting the vision for buildings in the EU’s clean energy transition (EUSEW 2023)

We took part in the 2023 EU Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) as a policy session organiser, together with the Architects’ Council of Europe (ACE-CAE) and EAE – European Association for External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems.

The title of our session was Leading the Way: Setting the Vision for Buildings in the EU’s Clean Energy Transition.

It came at a pivotal moment, where the long-term objective of carbon neutrality had to meet the short-term necessity to phase out fossil fuels. A multitude of solutions are necessary to reach this goal and buildings play a critical part.

The session looked ahead to define a strategic 2050 vision for a climate-neutral economy and society with highly energy-efficient, smart, sustainable and healthy buildings at its core.

For example, energy efficiency solutions that are already available today can significantly reduce the energy consumption of existing and new buildings. Smart technologies can improve system efficiency and accelerate the transition to higher electrification and renewable energy generation. Embodied and operational carbon in materials and buildings will also have to be reduced to achieve the 2050 net zero target. Architects can lead this transformation by designing sustainable buildings and raising awareness of the potential of buildings to help combat climate change. Each speaker approached the building sector from a different perspective.

The session was moderated by Julie Kjestrup, President of EuroACE and Head of Policy and Thought Leadership at VELUX.

The speakers were:

• Mechthild Wörsdörfer, Deputy Director-General for DG ENER at the European Commission
• Katarzyna Wardal-Szmit, Board Member of EuroACE and EU Public Affairs Manager at Knauf Insulation
• Irene Di Martino, Member of smartEn Smart Energy Europe and CEO at Amp X
• Hélène Sibileau, Senior Policy Advisor at BPIE – Buildings Performance Institute Europe
• Guillaume Joly, Sustainable Housing Officer at BEUC – The European Consumer Organisation
• Scott McAulay, Part 2 Architectural Assistant at Architype and Director of Anthropocene Architecture School