Affordable Housing Initiative Days – Day 2 – Workshop & Study Visit

AGENDA – DAY 2 (DISCOVER DAY 1 HERE)

10:00 – 12:30 Rethinking student accommodation in Guimarães

Participants will be taken behind the scenes of a flagship social and affordable student housing development linked to Universidade do Minho, a project that is already around 75% complete and setting a new benchmark for sustainable campus living.

This is a living example of an ambitious NZEB20+ approach, pushing well beyond standard Nearly Zero Energy Building requirements. Visitors will explore how renewable energy systems, including photovoltaics and high-efficiency heat pumps, are seamlessly integrated into the design to drastically reduce operational emissions and energy costs for students.

The project also showcases an innovative hybrid construction model, combining timber and concrete to optimise performance, durability and carbon footprint. You will see first-hand how industrialised and prefabricated elements are assembled on-site, accelerating delivery while maintaining high-quality and sustainability standards. A special focus of the visit will be on how environmental criteria were embedded into public procurement, including the use of recycled construction materials, demonstrating how public authorities can drive market transformation through smarter tendering.

Located on the outskirts of Guimarães (approximately 8–10 km from the city centre), the site will be reached by organised transport. The visit will feature a guided tour of the construction works, offering a rare opportunity to engage directly with the technical solutions, sustainability strategies and policy choices shaping this forward-looking development.

The AHI Days are a side event of the Energy Cities Annual Forum in collaboration with the city of Guimarães. Discover the full programme.

REGISTER FOR THE AHI DAYS
***Affordable Housing Initiative mentors and pioneers can join both days free of charge

12.30–14:00 Lunch at AVE Park (part of Energy Cities Forum)

14:00–16:00 Making better use of existing homes: Sufficiency as a strategy for affordable housing 

Venue: AVE Park 14:00 – 16:00 

 This workshop will explore sufficiency as a structural response to the housing crisis, showing how better use of existing homes can ease pressure on social and affordable housing while reducing environmental impacts. From vacancy regulation to shared living models, the session reframes sufficiency not as a constraint, but as a public interest strategy that links housing justice, social needs and climate objectives. 

Four short presentations will draw on real municipal experience — each followed by Q&A to bring concerns to the surface and exchange transferable lessons. The session will also delve into a Marketplace of Solutions where participants will go deeper into the themes most relevant to their own context. 

14.00-14:20 Sufficiency as an affordable housing strategy. Why does sufficiency matter for social and affordable housing?

14:20-15:20 Inspirational examples on sufficiency  

15:20-16:00 Marketplace of solutions

20:00 Dinner (Part of Energy Cities Forum) 

REGISTER FOR THE AHI DAYS
***Affordable Housing Initiative mentors and pioneers can join both days free of charge