Lisbon discusses urban sustainability for two days

On December 15 and 16, the Lisbon Triennale presents at the Sinel de Cordes Palace the public program for the first annual meeting of Open House Europe, an international cooperation project co-funded by the European Union. Three debates focusing on sustainability from the micro to the macro scale in the governance of the cities of the future bring together experts from Barcelona, Milan, Bilbao, Porto and Lisbon.

Friday, December 15, at 4:30 p.m., kicks off with the debate "Governance, Architecture and Sustainability". How can the city be sustainable through public policies? The panel includes Barcelona's Deputy Mayor for Ecology, Urban Planning and Urban Mobility, Janet Sanzand also with Filipa SerpaVice-President of IHRU - Institute for Housing and Urban Rehabilitation.

On Saturday, at 10 a.m., the theme "Sustainability in Urban Planning" will be discussedThe debate will include contributions from research related to water scarcity, heat islands and supply systems, followed by a discussion open to the whole audience. The debate will be moderated by the urban planner and founder of Urbanistica Podcast, Mustafa Sherifand will be attended by Aurora CarapinhaShe is a landscape architect, professor and author of studies on water management, gardens and landscapes and their relationship with natural systems and humanity.

At 11.40 a.m. on Saturday, the third debate, entitled "Achieving Sustainability in Architecture" which brings together representatives of architectural studios with sustainable initiatives, such as Francisco Adão da FonsecaHe is the co-founder of Oficina Pedrêz, a research space in Porto, which has explored the areas of systemic ecology and housing subsistence and is a founding member of Architects Declare in Portugal and Gianandrea Barrecaby the Milanese studio Barreca & La Varra, author of the first Zero Carbon social housing in Europe.

In English, the debates are broadcast on the YouTube channel of Open House Europe.

Conference program

Friday, December 15th

16:30 - Opening
Presentation on the dimensions of sustainability, by José Mateus, president of the Triennale

17h00 / 18h30 - Round Table
Governance, Architecture and Sustainability. How can the city be sustainable through public policies?

• Demetrio Scopelliti Director of Urban Planning and Public Space of the Agency for Mobility, Environment and Territory of the City of Milan (AMAT)
• Filipa SerpaVice-President of the Board of Directors of IHRU - Instituto da Habitação e da Reabilitação Urbana (Housing and Urban Rehabilitation Institute)
• Janet SanzDeputy Mayor of Barcelona for Ecology, Urban Planning and Urban Mobility
• Susana Ruiz, responsible for urban planning in the city of Bilbao.

Moderation by Sandra Marques PereiraShe is a researcher in urban sociology, housing and cities at DINÂMIA'CET and Sociodigital Lab for Public Policy/ ISCTE - Instituto Universitário de Lisboa.

19h00 / 21h00 - Opening of the Visual Stories exhibition
Discover the diversity of Open House Europe from the perspective of those who visit one of its twelve festivals throughout 2023. This pop-up exhibition is built on a selection of more than 30 visual narratives shared from an open call, with stories and experiences linked to architecture.

Saturday, December 16th

10h00 / 11h30 - Debate
Sustainability in Urban Planning
Presentations in different fields of research related to water scarcity, heat islands and supply systems, followed by a discussion open to the whole audience.

• Aurora CarapinhaShe is a landscape architect, researcher and teacher. Author of studies on water management, gardens and landscapes and their relationship with natural systems and humanity.
• Manuel BanzaIn the field of data science, he develops projects related to mobility, cities and, in particular, the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect in Lisbon.
• Mariana Sanchez Salvador, an architect with a body of research focused on city supply systems.

Moderated by the urban planner and founder of Urbanistica Podcast, Mustafa Sherif.

11h40 - 13h00 Debate
Achieving sustainability in architecture

• Marta Álvarez Pastor (Studio Vaumm), a specialist in rehabilitation, collaborates with artists in constructive interventions and urban planning with a cultural vision. 
• Gianandrea Barreca of the Milanese architectural studio Barreca & La Varra, which designed the first Zero Carbon social housing in Europe. 
• Francisco Adão da Fonseca co-founder of Oficina Pedrêz, a research space in Porto, which has explored the areas of systemic ecology and housing subsistence. Founding member of Architects Declare in Portugal.

Moderated by the curator of the Mies van der Rohe Foundation's awards and programs, Ivan Blasi.

Parallel Program

Saturday, December 16th

10h00 / 12h00 - Vertical urban agriculture workshop
with Upfarming (conducted by Tiago Sá Gomes and Maria Canelhas)

This workshop is an interactive activity to explore vertical urban farming systems: a different way of producing food in limited spaces. Participants will learn about the benefits and challenges of vertical farming, different management and production models, their importance in an urban context, and how these systems can contribute to a more sustainable future. The workshop consists of two stages: participants will start by sowing vegetable crops that are left to germinate. Then it's time to plant: participants will transplant the seedlings from the seedbed to the shelves of the vertical garden, where they will grow until they are ready to be harvested.

Location: 15 people
Duration: 2h
Price: 10€/person
Registration form

15h00 - Visit to the University City Residence
with Nuno Clímaco (Lisboa e-Nova) and Alexandre Marques Pereira

With 240 units of accommodation for university students, the project refers to the famous 'Unités d'Habitation' designed by Le Corbusier. As a collective housing complex, the different functional parts are integrated into a single body for shared use. An example of good sustainability practices, the residences adapt to local climatic conditions, with the definition of materials, the design of shading on the façade, natural ventilation or the inclusion of solar panels. All of this was the focus of the visit, which combines design with energy efficiency and sustainability strategies.

Location: 25 people
Duration: 1h
Price: Free
Registration form
Meeting point: Rua Professor António Flores 

16h00 - Visit to the Drainage Plan Tunnel 
with Manuel Saldanha

An underground visit to the excavation of the first tunnel linking Monsanto-Santa Apolónia over a length of 5km. Lisbon's General Drainage Plan aims to protect the city from flooding, preparing the city for future challenges and climate change. The implementation of this plan, which runs until 2030, involves three actions: the improvement and reinforcement of the drainage network, the construction of retention basins and two large drainage tunnels. As well as mitigating the social and economic impacts, the tunnels also address environmental issues: the existence of anti-pollution basins that capture and store rainwater, the use of recycled water for urban washing, irrigation and fires, and the activation of a sustainable mini-hydro plant.

Location: 15 people
Duration: 1h
Price: Free
Registration form
Meeting point: Rua de Campolide (at the intersection with Avenida General Correia Barreto, in front of Infinity Tower).