Open House Europe Summit

Building Futures Together serves as the motto for the programme of this first annual summit of Open House Europe, a consortium that brings together 11 cultural organisations from Vilnius to Lisbon. 

Dedicated to the theme of sustainability, this public programme, supported by Creative Europe, covers three scales: from the macro scale, which aims to reflect on how cities can be more sustainable through public policies, to the urban scale, focusing on concrete cases of its application, to the scale of the building.

In English, the round tables and debates are all free admission.

Friday, 15 December
 Watch online

16h30 – Welcome
Introduction by the project coordinator and an address on sustainability by José Mateus chairman of Lisbon Triennale

17h00 – 18h30 Public Debate
Governance, architecture and sustainability
How can the city be sustainable through public policies?

• Demetrio Scopelliti, Director of Urban Planning and Public Space at the City of Milan’s Agency for Mobility, Environment and Territory
• Filipa Serpa, Vice-President of the Board of IHRU (Institute of Housing and Urban Rehabilitation), with extensive knowledge of public housing policies
• Janet Sanz, Deputy Mayor of Barcelona for Ecology, Urban Planning and Urban Mobility
• Susana Ruiz, Architect, Technical Manager of Bilbao for Urban Planning, with extensive knowledge of urban masterplanning.

Moderated by the urban sociology, housing, and cities researcher Sandra Marques Pereira from DINÂMIA’CET and Sociodigital Lab for Public Policy/ ISCTE - Instituto Universitário de Lisboa.

19h00 – 21h00 Visual stories exhibition opening
Discover Open House Europe’s diversity through the eyes of each festival’s visitors during 2023. This pop-up exhibition comprises a collection of over 30 visual stories submitted via an international open call, with personal perspectives and experiences.

Saturday, 16 December
 Watch online

10h00 – 11h30 Public Debate
Sustainability in Urban Planning

Presentations of various research projects related to water scarcity, heat islands and supply systems, followed by a discussion open to the audience.

• Aurora Carapinha, landscape architect, researcher and teacher. Author of studies of water management; gardens and landscapes and their relationship to natural systems and humanity.
• Manuel Banza, works on data science projects related to mobility, cities and political issues such as the climate shelters in Lisbon.
• Mariana Sanchez Salvador, architect with extensive research on food supply systems in the cities.

Moderated by the urbanist and founder of Urbanistica Podcast, Mustafa Sherif.

11:40 – 13:00 Public Debate
Achieving Sustainability in Architecture

• Marta Álvarez Pastor, from Studio Vaumm, expert in rehabilitation building works, collaborates with artists for constructive intervention and urban planning with a cultural view.
• Gianandrea Barreca, from Barreca & La Varra, an architecture studio that designed the first Carbon Zero social housing in Europe
• Francisco Adão da Fonseca, from Oficina Pedrêz, a studio focussed on self-sufficiency building materials and infrastructures, as well as a founder member of Architects Declare in Portugal.
  
  

Moderated by the Curator of Prizes and Programmes at the Fundació Mies van der Rohe, Ivan Blasi.

These three debates will be streamed online on the Open House Europe YouTube channel.

Parallel Programme

Saturday, 16 December

10h00 – 12h00 Workshop in vertical urban agriculture
with Upfarming (led by Tiago Sá Gomes and Maria Canelhas)

This is an interactive activity to explore vertical urban farming systems: a different way of producing food in limited spaces. Participants learn about the benefits and challenges of vertical farming, various management and production models, their importance in an urban context, and how these systems can contribute to a more sustainable future. The workshop consists of two stages: sow some vegetable crops that will germinate in the seedbed. After sowing, it's time to plant: participants transplant the seedlings from the seedbed to the shelves of the vertical garden, where they will grow until they are ready to be harvested.

Max. number of people: 15
Duration: 2h
Price: €10/person
Registration form

15h00 Guided tour of the University Residence in Cidade Universitária

with Nuno Clímaco (Lisboa e-Nova) and Alexandre Marques Pereira

Providing housing for 240 university students, this block draws inspiration from Le Corbusier's renowned 'Unités d'Habitation.' This collective housing complex organises various functional parts into a unified structure for communal use. Exemplifying sound sustainability practices, the residences adjust to local climatic conditions through material selection, facade shading design, natural ventilation, and the incorporation of solar panels. The visit focuses on the integration of design with energy efficiency and sustainability strategies.

Max. 25 people
Duration: 1h
Free admission
Registration form
Meeting point: Rua Professor António Flores

16h00 Guided tour of the building site of the Lisbon Drainage Master Plan
with Manuel Saldanha

An underground visit to the excavation of the first tunnel connecting Monsanto and Santa Apolónia over a 5km stretch. Lisbon's Drainage Master Plan aims to shield the city from floods and ready it for future challenges and climate change. The plan, set to be in effect by 2030, involves three key actions: improving and strengthening the drainage network, constructing retention basins, and creating two large drainage tunnels. These measures not only lessen social and economic impacts but also tackle environmental concerns. Anti-pollution basins are in place to capture and store rainwater, recycled water is used for urban washing, irrigation, and firefighting, and a sustainable mini-hydro power station is activated.

Max. 15 people
Duration: 1h
Free admission

Registration form
Meeting point: Rua de Campolide (at the junction with Avenida General Correia Barreto, in front of Infinity Tower).