ACE-CAE PRESS RELEASE
19/11/2020
The
joint statement is supported by the representative European
organisations of architects, spatial planners, landscape architects, interior
architects, engineers, designers, artists, educators and researchers of the
built environment, who welcome the New European Bauhaus initiative put forward by the President
of the European Commission as part of the Renovation Wave strategy.
For ACE President, Georg Pendl, who initiated this collective
project: "We were delighted to hear the President of the European
Commission say: "But this -the renovation wave- is not just an
environmental or economic project: it needs to be a new cultural project for
Europe“. This can be the start of a game-changing policy, as renovation isn’t
seen as a technical issue only, but promotes a holistic approach, not only
including the quality of the design, but putting it at the core."
Statement
The New European
Bauhaus
Making the Renovation Wave a Cultural Project
We, the representative
European organisations of architects, spatial planners, landscape architects,
interior architects, engineers, designers, artists, educators and researchers
of the built environment, enthusiastically welcome the New European Bauhaus
initiative put forward by the
President of the European Commission as part of the Renovation Wave strategy.
With this initiative,
the European Commission complements the economic, social and environmental
measures of the Renovation Wave strategy with an essential cultural dimension. By making the Renovation Wave a cultural project, including all stakeholders, and by
including architectural quality and design quality as key principles to steer it, the Commission
initiates a fundamental shift. This can be a game-changer in the transition to
a more sustainable economy and society and will bring the Green Deal closer to
citizens for their well-being.
It opens the door to a
more holistic approach to our built environment, seeking to enhance, at the same
time, economic, social, environmental and cultural values. Thus, it builds on
the 2018 Davos Declaration Towards a high-quality Baukultur and principles included in the New
Leipzig Charter and, in its implementation, will help to reach the UN
Sustainable Development goals.
In this holistic
approach, the cultural dimension is central. It goes far beyond aesthetic considerations
and is the main driver for quality planning processes and quality projects, as well as a source of inspiration and
innovation for the other pillars of sustainability, given that arts are
providers of crucial twenty-first century competencies, such as critical
thinking and problem solving.
The holistic thinking
and cultural approach that underpin the New European Bauhaus initiative must
lie at the heart of the Renovation Wave strategy and inspire all its measures
to raise the full potential of the strategy and achieve a ‘quality renovation
wave’, making a difference in people’s minds and quality of life, and achieving
Europe’s climate neutrality objective.
This holistic approach
is needed at all spatial scales, whatever the size of the project – from
landscape architecture to town planning, neighbourhood development,
infrastructure, buildings and interior architecture and design. We very much
welcome the ambition of the European Commission to facilitate exchanges across
disciplines, as we share the view that it is the best way to spur creativity
and innovation.
It reflects well how
our professions work, every day, on the ground. Through our respective
networks, we are ready to support the development of this initiative, notably
by:
- acting as an
information platform, able to reach a
large audience via its member organisations;
- assisting the
implementation of the key principles of the strategy in the education, as well as the research
agendas of schools and institutes;
- identifying and
collecting best practice examples and innovative projects;
- enabling contact with
renowned professionals and experts, who would be able to give greater visibility to the
initiative;
- offering a knowledge
and expertise hub, to help the European
Commission to further design the initiative and ensure that its process
delivers the desired outcomes;
- facilitating
initiatives to upskills professionals in the targeted sectors;
- obtaining inputs
from public authorities and decision-makers, with whom we are in regular contact in our daily professional
practice at all governance levels;
- acting as a partner
for co-organising consultations, co-creation initiatives, and awareness-raising
events targeting
professionals, students and citizens.
We
are very much looking forward to collaborating with the European Commission and
all stakeholders to make this initiative a success.
THE STATEMENT IN PDF - https://www.ace-cae.eu/fileadmin/user_upload/BH_statement_FINAL-2.pdf
This statement is endorsed by the following
pan-European organisation:
The
Architects’ Council of Europe (ACE) is the representative organisation for the architectural
profession at European level. Its membership consists of 43 Member
Organisations, which are the regulatory and professional representative bodies
in all EU Member States, UK, Switzerland and Norway. Through them, the ACE
represents the interests of 562.000 architects from 31 countries in Europe.
The
European Council of Interior Architects (ECIA) is the representative body for the
professional organizations in Interior Architecture and Design. Founded in
1992, ECIA currently represents 17 European Member – National Organizations and
through them, the interests of over 14.000 professional Interior
Architects/Designers.
The
European Council of Spatial Planners (ECTP) brings together 28 professional spatial planning
associations and institutes from 24 European countries as well as corresponding
members. It is an umbrella association providing its members with a
common framework to promote the visibility, recognition of the important
societal role and practice of planning and urban development in Europe.
The
European Association for Architectural Education (EAAE) is the network for architectural and
planning schools in Europe. The purpose of the Associations is to advance the
quality of education and research in all areas of the built environment and
thus to promote the quality of architecture and urban landscape in Europe. The
EAAE promotes the interests of 135 member schools as institutions and academic
environments, lobbies for common goals and connects globally.
ELIA is a globally connected European network
that provides a dynamic platform for exchange and development in higher arts
education. It represents 260 member institutions in 48 countries, with over
300.000 students across all art disciplines. By placing emphasis on the value
of arts education and artistic research, ELIA is dedicated to enhancing the conditions
in which higher arts education can flourish, both nationally and
internationally.
IFLA
Europe is the European
Region of the International Federation of Landscape Architects formed by 34
professional Landscape Architects' Associations with 20.000 landscape
architects across Europe. It aims not only to promote the landscape architecture
profession, recognising excellence in educational courses and promoting the
best practice operations, but also striving to enhance the quality of landscape
planning, monitoring and management, provide nature-based solutions in climate
change mitigation and adaptation and ensure transformational changes in
landscape, urban and rural areas.
Contact
Architects' Council of Europe
29 rue Paul Emile Janson
B-1050 Brussels
www.ace-cae.eu
info@ace-cae.eu
T: +32 2 543 11 40
F: +32 2 543 11 41
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