Making Room for Change: EU Webinar Explores How Smarter Use of Existing Buildings Can Cut Carbon and Ease Housing Pressures
Europe’s construction sector is under twin pressures: slash climate-warming emissions and deliver homes that ordinary people can afford. One surprisingly powerful lever is simply to use the floor space we already have more efficiently—by adapting vacant offices into flats, densifying under-used plots, or renovating 1960s blocks instead of demolishing them. To help cities, developers and designers up their game, the European Commission will host a free online webinar on Tuesday 29 April 2025 (10:00-11:30 CEST) that shows how the Level(s) sustainability framework can steer smarter decisions from planning desk to building site. (Green Forum)
Why “Level(s)” matters now
Level(s) is the EU’s common language for measuring the full-life-cycle performance of buildings. The voluntary framework translates circular-economy concepts—resource efficiency, adaptability, end-of-life recovery—into six headline indicators and 16 sub-metrics that any project team can track. Because the same indicators apply at concept stage, detailed design, construction and operation, Level(s) lets municipalities and investors compare apples with apples and reward projects that lock in lower carbon over decades rather than years. (Green Forum, buildingsandcities.org)
From empty desks to lived-in homes
Much of Europe’s “hidden real estate” sits in business parks and shopping centres built for economic patterns that have shifted dramatically since the pandemic. Copenhagen, Milan and Rotterdam have already issued local policies that channel conversions toward social or mixed-income housing; Paris has set a 50 % target for office-to-housing permits in key districts. The webinar will spotlight municipal case studies showing how Level(s) helps quantify carbon savings from reuse versus new build and how zoning tweaks can unlock stubborn vacancy hotspots. (BUILD UP, Green Forum)
Tying in the Affordable Housing Initiative
Speakers will also link adaptive-reuse strategies to the EU’s Affordable Housing Initiative (AHI)—a Renovation Wave flagship that is piloting 100 “lighthouse districts” where deep retrofits go hand-in-hand with rent stabilisation, renewable energy and community co-design. In January 2025 the AHI entered its second phase, adding 35 new districts and rolling out tailored finance and capacity-building for local providers—insights the webinar will translate into actionable take-aways for other cities that want to launch similar schemes. (European Sustainable Energy Week, ectp.org)
What participants will learn
- Design, renovation and adaptability metrics. How to apply Level(s) indicators 1.2 (space efficiency) and 6.3 (future-use scenarios) to office-block conversions or school-to-community-hub projects.
- Policy levers that work. From tax rebates for vacant-floor reuse to fast-track permits tied to circular-materials passports.
- Funding pathways. How cities can bundle Level(s) performance data into grant applications under the European Regional Development Fund or the Social Climate Fund.
- Social benefits. Evidence that renovated, energy-efficient homes cut energy poverty and improve health outcomes—key targets in both the Green Deal and AHI roadmaps.
A live Q&A will let planners, architects and housing officers quiz Commission experts on how to integrate the framework into local building codes or public-procurement criteria.
Who should attend?
Urban planners, real-estate developers, architects, building-owners’ associations, social-housing providers, finance officers, ESG analysts—anyone whose decisions influence how Europe’s 25 billion m² of built space is designed, occupied or refurbished. Because Level(s) is open-source, even small municipalities or start-up consultancies can adopt it without licence fees.
Practical details
- Date & time: Tuesday 29 April 2025, 10:00-11:30 CEST
- Format: Interactive Zoom webinar with live polling and breakout chat
- Cost: Free (registration required)
- Registration link: europa.eu/!tKDcd6
Registrants will receive a confirmation e-mail with the connection link and a downloadable primer summarising the six Level(s) indicators.
A timely opportunity to turn theory into square metres
Europe must renovate its building stock at double today’s rate if it wants to meet the 55 % climate-target by 2030. At the same time, chronic housing shortages add urgency to squeezing more homes out of the structures we already have. The Level(s) webinar lands at the perfect intersection of these agendas, offering practical tools, policy pointers and finance tips in just 90 minutes. Whether you manage district plans, draft climate regulations or sketch the next adaptive-reuse icon, the session will equip you to translate big EU ambitions into bricks-and-mortar impact—without pouring a single unnecessary tonne of concrete.
