What is the New European Bauhaus?
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The Bauhaus is a legendary art and craft centre founded by Walter Gropius in Weimar (the school also operated in Dessau and Berlin). This university combined crafts and art, creating a unique field for experiments in design, art, architecture and education methods. The Bauhaus designs were a perfect blend of these four disciplines, and its style is one of the most influential and recognizable in contemporary design and architecture.
The New European Bauhaus initiative draws from the tradition of an iconic school. European Commission project aims to create a new lifestyle that will combine design and architecture with the principles of sustainable development and ecology.
– Our current consumption of raw materials, energy, water, food and land use is unsustainable. We need to change the way we treat nature, produce and consume, live and work, eat and heat, travel and transport. – said the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
Main assumptions of the New European Bauhaus
The project covers a range of political, legal, institutional and financial regulations. It aims to accelerate the transformation of various sectors of the economy, such as construction and architecture - to ensure that all EU citizens have access to "green" goods. They are products that are based on a closed-loop economy with less greenhouse gas emissions and a lower carbon footprint. The initiative aims to transfer the European Green Deal to our everyday lives. New European Bauhaus encourages us to design together and create a future that is sustainable, inclusive and beautiful, which is the main slogan of the campaign.
The New European Bauhaus brings a cultural and artistic dimension to the European Green Deal - to show the measurable and positive impact of sustainable innovation in our everyday life. Almost € 85 million has been earmarked for funding between 2021 and 2022. The project itself has been included in many EU programs as part of the context or one of the priorities, with no pre-defined budget.
The European Commission is currently setting up the NEB laboratory - a research and design centre where new solutions and recommendations will be developed and tested. The laboratory will operate in the spirit of cross-industry cooperation, which has been the hallmark of a movement that takes into account various spheres of life. The main goal is to connect society, industry and politics in finding new ways of joint creative activity.
Revitalization
One of the main trends of the New European Bauhaus is the revitalization of existing buildings and urban areas. Przemo Łukasik (Medusa Gruop co-owner) during the Future Builders meeting recalled that "the greenest building is the one that is not built - the second one is the one already existing" – restoring the former beauty and utility of historic (usually post-industrial) buildings and areas is gaining popularity.
– Energy efficiency and emissions neutrality are necessary conditions that must be met by modern, environmentally friendly commercial and residential building sites. New forms of architecture and technologies, as well as natural materials and recycling help in these challenges. – summarizes Alexsandra Baksik, Brand & Sustainable Development Manager at Aluprof.