About
HouseEurope! is a community-driven non-profit for the built environment, translating practical competency into policy and advocacy. It brings together people and organisations from across the value chain: from architects to engineers, contractors to material suppliers, developers to investors, and lobbyists to policymakers.
Our work is rooted in direct experience within the building industry. We come from inside the practice, and this practical positioning is our core strength. We understand how decisions are made, where limitations actually lie, and how together we can produce systemic change. At the same time, we believe that systemic change requires working across silos. That’s why we foster multidisciplinary dialogue and learn from each other to identify the biggest levers for change.
HouseEurope! was founded in 2023, with one question: how to build without costing people and the planet. The goal is to make systemic changes in how we build and raise awareness of the role of the built environment.
Watch “To Build Law” a documentary by the CCA – Canadian Centre for Architecture on the first ECI – European Citizens’ Initiative by HouseEurope!
Organisation
It is a registered non-profit under German law, with the purpose to promote science and research; arts and culture; public education; and environmental and climate protection – with a focus on the built environment, the construction industry and the building sector. (Find out more here).
Objectives
Across the European Union, the building and construction sector is a major driver of environmental impact. Buildings account for around 38% of CO2 emission (operational and construction costs). A value that is recognised in the “European Green Deal” and reflected in the “Renovation Wave” strategy, which aims to make Europe’s building stock climate neutral by 2050. Construction and demolition activities also generate more than 36% of all waste in the EU, making it the single largest waste producer in the union. Beyond environmental impact, the built environment holds significant economic weight. Buildings and real estate represent the largest asset class globally, making the sector key for economic growth and employment. As a result, millions of people in the European Union work in construction and related fields. Where there is big impact, there is big potential for change.
One of the core activities of HouseEurope! is the translation of shared knowledge and lived experience into policy proposals and advocacy formats. The organisation connects insights from practice and research with political and institutional processes, developing evidence-based proposals grounded in local realities and transferable across different contexts. In parallel, it works to make these processes understandable and accessible to a broader public, based on the understanding that political change depends on public awareness and civic engagement.
HouseEurope! understands the built environment as both a material and a political field. Questions of renovation, demolition, housing, and land use are not only technical issues, but questions of value, responsibility, and the common good. For this reason, the organisation combines research, policy work, and public communication, using formats such as publications, films, exhibitions, lectures, and citizen-driven initiatives. These formats are developed as tools to support volunteers and interested individuals in sharing knowledge, engaging others, and raising awareness.
Transformation
HouseEurope! originated as a European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) with over 80.000 supporters and 250 partners across Europe. It has since evolved into an organisation informed by real-world experience across the value chain of the built environment. This practical competency allows HouseEurope! to identify systemic problems as well as concrete points of intervention.
Currently, HouseEurope! is in a phase of organisational development. What began as an initiative is being transformed into a durable organisation in order to scale citizen power, supported by transparent governance, clearly defined responsibilities, and long-term structures.
Team
HouseEurope! is run by a core team of 10 people and supported by a wide network of partners, and volunteers across Europe. The core team operates at strategic and operational levels and is responsible for coordinating the organisation, including community building, knowledge exchange and transfer, policy development, and the production of advocacy formats.
In addition to these core activities, HouseEurope! provides a plattform for researchers, practitioners, institutions, and civil society actors to contribute their expertise to specific projects. This includes urban and architectural studies, policy proposals, European Citizens’ Initiatives, and campaigns. This network is essential to our work and reflects our belief that systemic change requires collective intelligence and long-term cooperation.
HouseEurope! engages different groups in different countries, with their specific focuses and areas of expertise. We acknowledge conflicting interests and are building on shared values. HouseEurope! is not about control, but about compromise and care.
The team currently includes (in alphabetical order) Arno Brandlhuber, Ludwig Engel, Olaf Grawert, Anastasiia Kalyta, Alina Kolar, Maximilian Lewark, Jacqueline Orner, Hannah Rettl, Josiane Schmidt, Alexander Throm