Operation Energy Neighbourhoods: A small exhibition and programme for a great transformation

What do you see in this picture: cobblestones, a pink children’s bike, or just another residential street? Now, take a closer look at the houses in the background. The one on the right stands out, a symbol of sustainability amid the weathered walls of tradition. And you are right to notice. It is a striking image of the way we try to realise the energy transition in our neighbourhoods today. The owner of this house insulated the roof and the façades, replaced the old windows by double-glazed ones, and installed a heat pump. But here is the catch: that owner is one of the lucky few. The transformation is unfolding house per house, progressing slowly and leaving many households behind.

To achieve a fossil fuel-free society by 2050, we need to renovate 95,000 homes every year – that's 11 homes every hour. Yet, the house-per-house approach fails to meet these ambitious goals. Realising the energy transition collectively is more cost- and material-efficient, benefits both higher- and lower-income households alike, and enables us to combine multiple processes and technical solutions simultaneously: that is the promise of the neighbourhood approach.

Operation Energy Neighbourhoods leads you from promise to practice. The small exhibition brings together the work-in-progress of pioneers committed to the energy transition in neighbourhoods, and formulates and connects the fields of action to improve and accelerate. Throughout a series of workshops and debates in the space, you are invited to reflect and collaborate with other stakeholders on the fields of action that add up to an integrated neighbourhood approach.

Operation Energy Neighbourhoods is the first edition in a series of ‘Open Workrooms’ organised by Architecture Workroom Brussels. From late 2024 to late 2026, AWB is opening its doors to support the cities, experts, designers, businesses and policymakers working on the strategic transformations that the organisation is committed to: energy neighbourhoods, sponge landscapes, and societal infrastructure. Each of these tracks features a public programme and a small exhibition, contributing to a great transformation.


VISIT THE EXHIBITION

Free individual visits every Thursday from 9 January until 27 February 2025 (10:00-20:00), no registration needed.
Guided tours on demand (via this form).

Adress: Pachecolaan 34 (6th floor), 1000 Brussels


PUBLIC PROGRAMME

Opening Night Operation Energy Neighbourhoods (Wednesday, 11 December 2024)

The Energy Company 2.0: A Public-Private-Civic Collaboration (Thursday, 12 December 2024)

Measuring the temperature: Architecture and regulation for new climate regimes (Thursday, 6 February 2025)

Everyone on board: A collective renovation programme (Thursday, 20 February 2025)

One step at a time: An integrated action plan for every neighbourhood ​(Thursday, 27 February 2025)

Towards an operation: A supra-local framework for energy neighbourhoods (date to be confirmed)

Get more details and register for free on the events page of Architecture Workroom Brussels.