The European Citizens' Initiative on Building Reuse Opens for Signatures

HouseEurope! is the European Citizens' Initiative advocating for EU legislation to simplify, reduce the cost of, and make more socially equitable the renovation and reuse of existing buildings, has officially begun its signature gathering period. The initiative aims to curb demolition driven by speculation and foster a construction industry that prioritizes the potential of existing public and private buildings. As a tool of direct democracy, European Citizens' Initiatives allow citizens to propose legislation at the EU level. For the legislation to be officially considered and implemented by the European Commission and EU member states, it requires the support of 1 million European citizens from at least seven EU countries. The initiative opened for signatures on February 1st, 2025 and will remain open until January 31st, 2026.

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Conversion of a Wine Storage into Housing Esch Sintzel Architekten . Image © Philip Heckhausen

The current system, driven by speculative real estate practices, prioritizes new construction, leading to the demolition of millions of square meters of existing buildings annually. This results in significant social, economic, and environmental costs, including job losses, wasted resources, increased carbon emissions, and the destruction of cultural heritage. The initiative aims to change this by incentivizing renovation, creating a more sustainable and equitable building industry. The proposed legislation is based on 3 key pillars: tax reductions for renovation works and the reuse of materials, fair rules for the assessment of existing buildings, and new values for the embedded CO2 in existing structures.

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Maison des Vauches Bertrand Van Dorp. Image © Sven Högger

HouseEurope! emerged from the fight to save the Mäusebunker building from demolition, highlighting a systemic problem: renovation is perceived as riskier and more expensive than new construction, ignoring the social and environmental costs of demolition. By factoring in the hidden costs of demolition and promoting the value of existing structures, HouseEurope! aims for a sustainable and equitable building sector.


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The initiative has already gained support from a diverse network, including architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, founders of Herzog & de Meuron, Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal of Lacaton & Vassal, design studio Formafantasma, Oana Bogdan, sociologist Joanna Kusiak from Cambridge University, political economist Ann Pettifor, and Ruth Schagemann, President of the Architects' Council of Europe.

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Architecture School Montpellier Renovation - Maignial Architectes & Associés. Image © 11h45

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Cite: Maria-Cristina Florian. "The European Citizens' Initiative on Building Reuse Opens for Signatures" 04 Feb 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1025037/a-european-citizens-initiative-calls-for-a-right-to-reuse-existing-buildings> ISSN 0719-8884

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