The Federal Foundation for Building Culture is calling for a nationwide Day of Renovation Culture on Saturday, November 8, 2025, marking the fourth annual celebration since introducing the New Renovation Culture building culture report in 2022. The Potsdam-based foundation has organized events, exhibitions, lectures, and trade shows across Germany to promote sustainable renovation, continued construction, and climate-conscious approaches to existing building stock.

A comprehensive review of BauNetz news reports from the past twelve months reveals the diverse and forward-thinking potential of renovation culture across Europe. The featured projects span from minor interventions to major transformations, focusing on building typologies traditionally considered difficult to repurpose, including churches, industrial halls, and high-rise buildings.

Several exemplary projects demonstrate successful integration of new functions into existing structures. The Herojus School by Architectural Bureau G. Natkevicius & Partners in Kaunas transformed a former printing facility into an educational institution. Meanwhile, pihlmann architects in Copenhagen created the Co-Working-Space Thoravej 29, showcasing how buildings can essentially recycle themselves through thoughtful renovation.

Natural materials played a crucial role in the transformation of railway halls in Arles, southern France, where Assemble and BC architects studios materials converted the industrial spaces into a vibrant creative center. This project, along with BC's broader work, was extensively featured in the widely acclaimed BauNetz WOCHE 664 titled "Radical Simplicity."

Renovation projects inevitably present significant challenges, as demonstrated by the high-rise transformation in Brussels undertaken by 51N4E, Jaspers-Eyers Architects, and lAUC. During the construction process, engineers discovered that the existing structural framework could not support the new loads, necessitating far more extensive demolition and reconstruction than originally planned.

The collection of featured projects spans various European locations and building types, from G. Natkevicius & Partners' printing-to-school conversion in Kaunas to RWPA's charismatic hall renovation near Winterthur. Other notable projects include pihlmann architects' self-recycling building in Copenhagen, Mikkelsen Arkitekter's former boiler house conversion for dance in Copenhagen, and Assemble and BC's eco-laboratory architecture in Arles.

Additional transformations showcase the versatility of adaptive reuse, including Mark Escherich and Behzadi Architekten's conversion of a former party school to customs facility in Erfurt, urbain architectencollectief's village-into-church project in Kortrijk, and After Party's neighborhood center for large housing estates in Lithuania. The projects also feature careful preservation work in the Auvergne region by COVE Architectes, Diller Scofidio + Renfro's showroom for the V&A in London, and ATAMA's department store renovation without commercial pressure in Kortrijk.

These diverse renovation projects collectively demonstrate that transformation culture can successfully blend historical preservation with contemporary needs, environmental responsibility, and innovative design solutions. The projects illustrate how architects across Europe are reimagining existing structures to serve modern communities while respecting architectural heritage and promoting sustainable building practices.