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New European Bauhaus

Forum 2026

Forum 2026

9 June - Programme

EVENING

Opening Ceremony featuring official speeches from President Ursula von der Leyen, President Antonio Costa setting the stage for the days ahead

  • Ursula von der Leyen - President of the European Commission
  • Antonio Costa - President of the European Council
  • Helle Søholt- CEO and co-founder of Gehl
  • Hanna Bondar - member of the Ukrainian Parliament and architect

 

10 June - Programme

MORNING

Building Europe’s future: transforming the construction sector for a climate-neutral, circular and competitive economy

  • Anna Heringer - Architect at Studio Anna Heringer
  • Carmen Diaz - Chief People and Sustainability Officer at HOLCIM

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MORNING

Making use of what we have: rethinking vacant and underused spaces

  • Eva De Bruyn - Partner at 514NE
  • Werner Möller - Lead at Reallabor ZEKIWA Zeitz
  • Veronika Valk-Siska - former Chief Architect at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications (EE), IE MInister of Housing/Environment
  • Sorcha Edwards - Secretary General of Housing Europe

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MORNING

Resilient by design: cutting carbon, cutting costs

  • Martin Skea - Co-founder and CEO of ToGatherHomes
  • Fleming Voetmann - Vice President of External Relations and Sustainibility at VELUX
  • Jan Wurm - Professor at KU Leuven and EU Engagement Lead at ARUP
  • Mila Duncheva - Global Business Project Manager at Stora Enso

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MORNING

Concluding perspectives with Commissioner Dan Jørgensen 

  • Dan Jørgensen - EU Commissioner for Energy and Housing
  • Dr. Johan Rockström - Director of Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

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AFTERNOON

Introductory conversation between EC Vice-President Henna Virkkunen and EIC Board member Francesca Bria to kick off the afternoon sessions

  • Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, in dialogue with Francesca Bria, former NEB HLRT Member and EIC Board member.

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AFTERNOON

From feeds to streets: Social media, democracy, and the future of our cities

  • Léa Rogliano - Head of the Citizen Engagement Hub at FARI
  • Carlo Ratti - Professor at MIT and Politecnico di Milano, founding partner of the CRA-Carlo Ratti Association and Director of the Senseable City Lab

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AFTERNOON

From Research to Reality: Evidence-Based design for inclusive and nature-positive spaces

  • Markus Reymann - Director and Co-founder of TBA21–Academy (Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary – Academy)
  • Francesca Rizzo - Professor of Design and Expert in Service & Strategic Design at Politecnico di Milano
  • Mette Skjold - CEO and Senior Partner at SLA Architects

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AFTERNOON

Concluding Perspectives with Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva

  • Ekaterina Zaharieva - European Commissioner for Start-ups, Research & Innovation

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EVENING

11 June - Programme

MORNING

Kick-Off of FORUM Day 3 and introductory remarks

  • Raffaele Fitto - Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Cohesion & Reforms 

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MORNING

Keynote Speech

  • Anacláudia Rossbach - Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)

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MORNING

From participation to self-sufficiency: Designing democratic, climate-ready communities

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MORNING

Strategic reconstruction in times of emergency: lessons from Ukraine

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MORNING

Open heritage: accessibility, innovation and the future of cultural institutions 

  • Géraldine David - General Director of Royal Museum of Art and History
  • Eva Kraus - Director of the Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany, Bonn 

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AFTERNOON

Introductory speech to kick off the afternoon sessions

  • Enrico Giovannini - Economist, former Minister of Infrastructure and Mobility, and former Minister of Labour and Social Policies (IT)

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AFTERNOON

Investing in what truly matters: scaling up the NEB market for competitive solutions in the built environment

  • Christine Lemaitre - CEO at DGNB (German Sustainable Building Council)
  • Dirk Paelink - Chairman of the European PropTech Association
  • Marcos Ros Sempere - MEP (ES), Kika Zdziarska - PhD Researcher at the University of Ghent

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AFTERNOON

Growing the future: Investing in affordable, desirable bio-based solutions 

  • Ramona Daniela Dragomir - Climate Pact Ambassador and Principal Banker with European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  • Aksel Mjos - Associate Professor and Head of Department at Norwegian School of Economics and NEB Facility Expert group member
  • Alessio Colombo - COO & CO-Founder of Ricehouse
  • Veronica Manfredi - Director, European Commission, Directorate ENV.C - Zero Pollution & Green Transition

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12 June - Programme

Morning

Keynote Speaker: Chloé Léger Witvoet and Matthieu Witvoet, Swimmers and Founders of Swim for Change 

  • Chloé Léger Witvoet - Swimmers and Founders of Swim for Change
  • Matthieu Witvoet - Swimmers and Founders of Swim for Change 

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MORNING

NEB Academy: how the NEB learns, tests, and scales

Full speakers line-up will be announced soon...

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MORNING

NEB Academy worldwide: Building skills, knowledge and alliances for a regenerative future

  • Andrej Horvat - Deputy Programme Director and Head of Sustainable Development Unit at U-LEAD
  • Yoshiyuki Kawazoe - Professor at the University of Tokyo, Laurent Troost - Founder architect at Troost & Pessoa

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AFTERNOON

Introductory speech from Commissioner Jessika Roswall

  • Jessika Roswall - European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience, and a Competitive Circular Economy

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AFTERNOON

From algorithm to artisan: Crafting new lifestyles for a circular future

  • Tamari Aptsiauri - Co-founder and CEO of COSMO
  • Anneleen Bertels - Co-curator of Artisanal Intelligence

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AFTERNOON

Keynote Speech

  • Julia Watson - Designer, Author, Professor at Columbia University 

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AFTERNOON

Designing with water: building resilient and beautiful cities

  • Leonora Moore - International Senior Vice-President Commercial & Solutions for CRH

Full speakers line-up will be announced soon...

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AFTERNOON

Panel discussion, providing wrap up reflections and strategic insights to conclude the FORUM

  • Eamon Ryan - Chair of the European Commission's Housing Advisory Board

Full speakers line-up will be announced soon...

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EVENING

Awards Ceremony: Trophy Competition

Celebrating the winners of the Trophy Competition, their creativity and innovation