Re:Living: Launching the Next Chapter of Living Places

On 3 July, at the Barcelona World Capital of Architecture, VELUX launched Re:Living—the next chapter of the Living Places programme and a new initiative exploring how renovation can move from isolated projects to a scalable approach for transforming existing buildings.

 

Most of the buildings Europe will use in 2050 already exist. Yet many are inefficient, unhealthy or underused, while cities face growing pressure to address housing affordability, climate impact, resource consumption and biodiversity loss.

 

Re:Living explores how renovation can become part of the solution.
Developed together with DGJ Architektur and Transsolar, Re:Living combines research, collaboration and real-world experimentation to explore how existing buildings can be transformed into healthier, more affordable and future-ready homes.

A key milestone is the launch of the Green Paper The Housing We Need for the Future We Want, developed together with BPIE, Artelia, RISE and No Objectives. The research offers a new perspective on Europe’s existing building stock, showing that up to 107 million additional homes could potentially be unlocked through renovation, conversion and better use of existing buildings—while reducing emissions, resource use and pressure on natural ecosystems.

Re:Living is not a finished answer. It is an invitation to collaborate, experiment and learn together.By bringing together architects, engineers, researchers, industry partners and communities, the ambition is to develop and share practical knowledge that can help accelerate the transformation of Europe’s existing building stock.
Because the homes we need for the future may already be standing today.