Exhibition
Countdown House Europe!
In the Az W courtyard
House Europe! is promoting new EU laws to counter speculation-driven demolitions.
© Photograph: HouseEurope!
Every minute, a building in Europe is destroyed—not by natural disaster, but by human hands. While some profit from this, the majority pay the price: with rising rents and rising temperatures. The European citizens' initiative HouseEurope! has set itself the goal of stopping this destruction and making renovation the new norm.
The HouseEurope! European Citizens’ initiative petition ends on January 31, 2026. By then, one million signatures must be collected across Europe to launch an EU-wide renovation campaign. Along construction fences, the pop-up exhibition in the courtyard of the Architekturzentrum Wien informs visitors about the urgency of a necessary demolition stop, the initiative’s plans, and the instrument of direct democracy. A renovation atlas shows the diversity of small to large renovation projects in the areas of housing, commerce, and administration. As a supporter from the very beginning, the Architekturzentrum Wien is calling for the countdown to the collection of votes: Come by, get informed and sign!
House Europe! advocates for the right to reuse existing buildings, based on three key pillars:
(I) Tax reductions for renovation works and the reuse of materials
(II) Fair rules for the assessment of existing buildings, and
(III) New values for the embedded CO2in existing structures
Let’s do it! Every signature makes a personal contribution to preserving the building stock, protecting the climate, and strengthening community life.
SIGN NOW!
The exhibition was initiated by Architects for Future and HouseEurope!, supported by the Association of German Architects (BDA), and made possible by the Allianz Foundation.
Coordination of the tour (AT): Architects for Future Austria, IG Architektur, Studio Kollision
Coordination of the tour (GER): Antje Bruno, Emanuel Lucke, Lara Herkommen, Lyn Hüller, and Niklas Michels.
Concept and funding application: Emanuel Lucke, with Melana Jäckels. BDA and Umbau-Atlas: Benedikt Hotze and Helen Gräser.
Design and implementation: Architects for Future e.V., Berlin, Frankfurt, and Hanover.
Core team: Anna Scheuermann, Anna-Lena Wallner, Emanuel Lucke, Henrike Carl, Gregor Schuller, Lara Herkommen, Leon Beck, Max Reiser, Melana Jäckels, and Niklas Michels.
Consulting and support: Panatom, Render-Manufaktur, Federal Foundation for Building Culture (BSBA), Bureau N., HouseEurope!