A new European Bauhaus? – News – Architecture Workroom Brussels

New European Bauhaus

New European Bauhaus is an initiative of the European Commission with the ambition to connect the objectives of the European Green Deal with our own living environment. Architecture Workroom Brussels has been recognised as an official partner and will contribute to the ambition of the New European Bauhaus by translating the ambitious goals into concrete projects within the societal project 'The Great Transformation 2020-2030'.

The objectives of the New European Bauhaus and of The Great Transformation are closely linked. Both initiatives are looking for partners, practices and projects with diverse expertise and multi-voiced social positions.

In 2018 we defined The Missing Link, the lack of connections between the many experiments and practices in the field and the ambitious goals from above. Driven by this question and with the conviction that "the next big thing will be a lot of small things", we launched the societal initiative The Great Transformation. The aim is to accelerate the transition to a resilient society by setting up a workspace where we can bring together insights from entrepreneurs, citizens, civil society organisations, investors, governments, researchers and representatives of civil society and translate them into effective performance.

The partnership with the New European Bauhaus is based on co-design, inviting for conversations and generating ideas to shape an innovative policy and practice framework. It supports a societal movement around new ways of thinking that create sustainable communities and inclusive, ongoing dialogues. Partners of the initiative will act as promoters, community managers, sounding boards and key interlocutors throughout the development of the initiative.

Want to find out more about the New European Bauhaus initiative? Click here for the link to the website.

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Since 2010, Architecture Workroom Brussels has focused on the future of our living environment. The organisation began as a safe haven to address the link between space and societal transitions, aimed at fostering a futureproof design practice, commissioning and building culture.

It has now become evident that the transformation of our streets, neighbourhoods, and landscapes is both a prerequisite and a lever for achieving societal goals in synergy. Yet we observe that these transformations remain difficult to imagine and implement. They span so many sectors and involve so many actors that responsibility falls on everyone, and therefore, ultimately, on no one.

That is why we make it our mission to create the space that connects them. And with this refined mission comes a new name: WORKROOM, House for transformation. WORKROOM is the shared space where the future of our living environment is not only imagined but also organised.

We are currently taking the lead on three mission-driven transformations:

SOCIETAL INCUBATORS - By 2030, stakeholders from the youth, culture, sports, care and education sectors will join forces to create renewed societal spaces that tackle loneliness and counteract the fragmentation and pressure on public infrastructure.
FOSSIL-FREE NEIGHBOURHOODS - By 2030, at least ten neighbourhoods will be underway with the transition to fossil-free energy in an inclusive and affordable way, with a view to completely phase-out fossil fuels by 2040.
SPONGE LANDSCAPES - By 2030, we will have achieved our water, agriculture and nature goals through a single, coherent approach at catchment area level, in which strong regional coalitions collectively enhance the landscape's sponge capacity.

To make these transformations a reality, WORKROOM works shoulder to shoulder with pioneering designers, local authorities, organisations and businesses, governments, knowledge institutions and impact investors.

Through co-creative design, we imagine shared pathways to the future in exhibitions, publications, innovation programmes and public programmes. These are the workrooms where we connect the actors capable of realising these transformations. From there, we design shared ownership and the organisational, funding and policy models that lead to real change.

The name is simpler. The stakes are higher. WORKROOM is the shared space where we tackle the social and spatial transformations that no one can achieve alone. In an era of polarisation, compartmentalisation and instability, that is perhaps the most radical thing we can do.