As the global community grapples with the climate crisis, the Trans Carbon Habitat Conference, held on December 5–6, 2024, at Lisbon’s MAAC/CCB Museum of Contemporary Art, emerged as a critical platform for rethinking the role of architecture in sustainable development. 

Organised by Professors Nadir Bonaccorso and Joana Mourão, and sponsored by the Centre for Innovation in Territory, Urbanism and Architecture (University of Lisbon), the event gathered architects, educators, policymakers, and sustainability advocates to interrogate how urban design, policy, and education can address the intersecting challenges of carbon emissions, biodiversity loss, and social inequity.

Among the leading voices was Rolf Hughes, Education Director at EIT Culture & Creativity. Hughes’s keynote and panel contributions illuminated the transformative potential of architectural education in equipping future practitioners to reshape a rapidly changing world. His emphasis on entrepreneurial, interdisciplinary, and culturally responsive frameworks served as a rallying cry for systemic change.

Day 1: Rethinking Urban Systems for Sustainability

The conference began with a sobering acknowledgment of the lag in meeting 2050 targets for carbon reduction and ecosystem restoration. Yet, the discussions went beyond problem identification to interrogate entrenched paradigms in urban planning and construction.

Key themes emerged:

• Transdisciplinary Solutions: Speakers like Maria Rosario Partidario and Cynthia Echave highlighted the inadequacy of siloed approaches in addressing planetary health, advocating for integrated models that merge ecology, social equity, and design.
  
  
• Urban Commons and Regeneration: Case studies such as Barcelona Superblocks and LABIC Barreiro and Urbinat showcased how participatory design processes can transform neglected urban spaces into vibrant, low-carbon environments.
  
  
• Resistance to Innovation: Discussions revealed structural barriers, including outdated regulations and the persistence of modernist planning principles, that hinder the adoption of sustainable practices.

The day’s dialogues underscored the importance of low-energy urbanism, bio-based materials, and human-centric design in achieving EU sustainability goals. Yet, the path forward requires not only technical solutions but also cultural and institutional shifts.

Day 2: The Role of Education in Climate Resilience

The Education Forum, a cornerstone of the second day, explored architecture’s evolving role in an era defined by climate instability. Hughes positioned architectural education as a critical lever for societal transformation, urging institutions to move beyond aesthetics and functionality to embrace ecological and ethical imperatives.

Key Takeaways:

• Expanding the Architect’s Role: The forum challenged traditional notions of architectural practice, envisioning architects as systemic thinkers and agents of change. This expanded role includes addressing climate migration, resource efficiency, and regenerative design.
  
  
• Transformative Pedagogies: Hughes called for a redefinition of studio-based learning, advocating for practice-based experimentation, community engagement, and interdisciplinary collaboration as foundational pillars of learning.
  
  
• Addressing Curriculum Gaps: The forum emphasised the need to prepare students for diverse futures—ranging from managed degrowth to ecological collapse—through tools like systems thinking, carbon footprint analysis, and adaptive design strategies.

Hughes also advanced a nuanced vision of entrepreneurship, reframing it to encompass cultural and ecological innovation in addition to purely economic metrics. His insights set the tone for broader discussions on how education can inspire bold, long-term solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.

EIT Culture & Creativity: Leading the Charge

The insights from the conference present a compelling roadmap for EIT Culture & Creativity to focus its strategic priorities in 2025 and beyond. By integrating education, innovation, and sustainability, the KIC is uniquely positioned to drive transformative change in architectural and urban design practices.

Strategic Opportunities:

1. Embedding Regenerative Practices through projects that integrate bio-based materials, circular economies, and low-energy urbanism into both curricula and professional development programs.
   
   
2. Advancing Transdisciplinarity through promoting cross-sectoral collaborations that merge architecture, biology, computer science, and social sciences, fostering a holistic understanding of interconnected habitats.
   
   
3. Fostering Climate Resilience by equipping students with tools to balance mitigation and adaptation strategies, addressing challenges like extreme weather, biodiversity loss, and resource depletion.
   
   
4. Redefining Learning Models by expanding accessible, hybrid education formats—such as MOOCs and community-driven programs—that combine theoretical rigour with practical engagement.

A Call to Action

As the climate crisis accelerates, architectural education stands at a crossroads. The Trans Carbon Habitat Conference underscored the urgency of reimagining curricula, not as incremental updates but as transformative overhauls capable of addressing systemic inequities and ecological degradation.

EIT Culture & Creativity has the potential to lead this transformation by inspiring a new generation of architects to act as stewards of a more equitable and sustainable future.

The challenges are significant, but the tools of change are within reach. The question is not whether architecture can evolve to meet these demands, but how swiftly and boldly it can rise to the occasion.