New European Bauhaus Festival 2024

The NEB Festival, taking place in Brussels between April 9 and April 13, will bring together people from different sectors to discuss Europe's sustainable future. The festival will take place simultaneously in Brussels, at satellite events across Europe, and online, with a theme of Planet for All.

The opening event, which will be held on Tuesday, April 9, at 18:00, will feature speeches by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo, among others.

The festival will also feature the New European Bauhaus Prizes 2024 Ceremony.

See the entire programme here.

Programme from Finland

The festival programme is built around three key areas. Forum is the festival's discussion programme, Fair brings out exhibitions and events, and Fest includes an arts-related programme.

Wednesday 10.4.

Panel discussion: Transforming our built environment: key challenges and opportunities (16.10-16.55, Park stage)

On Wednesday 10 April at 16:10, a panel discussion on "Transforming our built environment: key challenges and opportunities" will start, moderated by Professor Matti Kuittinen from Aalto University. In the panel, Ciaran Cuffe, Member of the European Parliament, Hans Sohlström, Chairman of Stora Enso and Professor Andreja Kutnar will discuss the future of carbon neutral construction.

Time Out! Rethinking construction (17.00-19.00, Museum of Art & History)

The festival will feature Aalto University's Time Out! Rethinking construction. Every day, the construction sector affects the climate, ecosystems, people and other living things - mostly negatively. Aalto University is taking a time-out from construction. The exhibition challenges the current state of the construction industry by presenting three steps to keep construction within planetary boundaries.

The opening of the exhibition will take place from 17.00-19.00. Speakers include Matti Kuittinen and Hannu Seristö, Vice Rector of Aalto University.

Register for the opening ceremony here.

Change on the ground: success stories of the NEB (17.05-17.55, Park stage)

The panel discussion will hear about the positive impact of the New European Bauhaus initiative across Europe. The panel will include the Mayor of Turku, Minna Arve, and EU Commissioner Elisa Ferreira.

Veila (18:45-19:30, Park stage)

The Fest section, which complements the festival programme, brings a wide range of arts programmes to the festival. On Wednesday 10 April at 18:45, the Joensuu-based Veila, the world's first joint kantele ensemble to adapt contemporary hits to the kantele tradition, will take to the stage.

Thursday 11.4.

Finimalize this workshop (14.00-15.00, Fair stage)

Finimalism, a joint project by Archinfo, Finnish Design Info and Fashion Finland, will be presented at NEB. The Finimalize this! workshop on Thursday 11 April from 14:00 to 15:00 in the Fair section invites speakers and listeners to reflect on topics related to our everyday lives: what we take for granted and what has the potential to be more. In a live workshop, designers and the audience will have the opportunity to look at everyday environments with new eyes - and to finalise them.

Panelists Matti Kuittinen, Anna Ruohonen and Jaakko Torvinen will join the game. The workshop will be moderated by Katja Lindroos, Project Manager of the Finimalism project.

NEB x Finland side group meeting (18:15-20:00, Helsinki EU office, Rue Guimard 7

Archinfo, Finimalism, Metropolia, Aalto University and Taike cordially invite participants of the NEB festival to an informal discussion on the role of the creative industries in the green transition.

The NEB x Finland: Discovering Nordic Dimension to Green Transition afterwork event at Helsinki EU Office will provide an opportunity to get to know the Finnish participants of the NEB Festival better over light refreshments and snacks.

Click here to register

Friday 12.4.

NEB Stewardship Lab workshop (12.00-13.00, Fair stage)

The NEB Stewardship Lab, run by Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, will present the role of higher education as part of the EU's social, economic and ecological restructuring. Make a special note of the NEB Stewardship workshop on Friday 12 April at 12 noon.

NEB Awards (18.00-20:00, Museum Stage)

The NEB Awards will again be presented during the festival. The awards ceremony on Friday 12 April at 18:00 will honour inspiring projects and promising young creators who are making Europe sustainable, beautiful and inclusive.

The awards will be presented in a number of categories. The jury has selected fifty finalists from more than 530 applications, two of which will be awarded by public vote.

From Finland, the Circular Green Blocks project will be among the finalists. A partnership between Helsinki Region Environmental Service (HSY), Metropolia and Forum Virium Helsinki, Metropolia and Aalto University is looking for sustainable solutions to promote the sharing and circular economy together with housing associations and companies supporting green growth. The project helps companies to identify and develop block-level circular and sharing economy models.

Find out more about the finalists and vote for your favourite here.

Registration and further information

The venue is the Musée Art & Histoire (Parc du Cinquantenaire 10, Brussels, Belgium). The festival can be attended remotely or on-site. Participation in the festival is free of charge. Pre-registration is only required for the opening ceremony and the prize-giving.

Register here.

Please note that the festival programme is subject to change. All times are given in Brussels (CET) time.