Between December 14–17, 2023, the Lisbon Architecture Triennale hosted the first Annual Summit of Open House Europe—an international cooperation project co-funded by the European Union.

Public debate ‘Achieving Sustainability in Architecture’ featured Marta Álvarez Pastor from Studio Vaumm, an expert in rehabilitation building works in collaboration with artists for constructive interventions and urban planning; Gianandrea Barreca from Barreca & La Varra architecture studio, who discussed their design of the first zero-carbon social housing in Europe; Francisco Adão da Fonseca, from Oficina Pedrêz, a studio focused on self-sufficiency in building materials and infrastructures and a founder member of Architects Declare in Portugal, also shared his insights.

Ivan Blasi, the Curator of Prizes and Programmes at Fundació Mies van der Rohe, moderated the discussion. The topics covered provided a comprehensive exploration of sustainability in architecture, touching upon various innovative approaches and projects.

The Annual Summit gathered the community of Open House festivals’ organisers, architecture enthusiasts, students, and professionals. Hosted in Palácio Sinel de Cordes, an 18th-century palace transformed into a cultural centre, the first Open House Europe Annual Summit featured a lively public and internal programme.

Dedicated to the theme of sustainability, the Public Programme of the summit covered three scales: the macro scale, which aims to reflect on how cities can become more sustainable through public policies; the urban scale, focusing on concrete cases reflecting the outcomes of such policies; and the scale of a building. ‘Building Futures Together’ served as the motto for the Annual Summit programme.

The Annual Summit aimed to facilitate cross-regional exchange, bringing together perspectives and expertise from diverse fields of knowledge. It was a unique opportunity for the Open House community—including anyone planning to launch an Open House festival in their city—to come together, learn, exchange knowledge, and share experiences.

The event was organised by the Lisbon Architecture Triennale, Associazione Open House Milano, Asociación Open Urbanity from Bilbao, and Open House Europe coordinators, together with the support of Open House Worldwide.

Coordinator: Architektūros fondas;
Financed by the Lithuanian Council for Culture;
Annual Summit Host: Lisbon Architecture Triennale;
Annual Summit Partners: Lisbon City Council, Público;
Video Production: Disaster;
Co-funded by the European Union.