Are the days of single-family homes and classic apartments over? Minister Henri Kox debated the topic with various stakeholders at the national housing conference on Thursday.

The third session of the national housing conference took place on Thursday at the Chamber of Trades, where Kox was joined by stakeholders in affordable housing, including promoters, representatives from the social sector (Fedas) and the syndicate of cities and municipalities (Syvicol).

Read also: How to create 10,000 affordable housing units?

The evening not only provided an opportunity to discuss measures for the national affordable housing strategy, but also included a speech by Florian Hertweck, architect and professor at the University of Luxembourg.

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Left to right: Architect and professor Florian Hertweck and housing minister Henri Kox / © Gael Arellano/ RTL Luxembourg

Hertweck put together a history of the decisions that have led the Luxembourg real estate market to the point of becoming "unpayable", as Kox once described it. He also addressed the problem of the Luxembourg construction model which he said was based on a "bygone concept, dating back to the 1970s".

The professor also denounced the traditional single-family house, with "three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a view of nature", calling it one of the aggravating factors in the real estate crisis. "The construction sector is building houses which no longer meet the demands and needs of today."

"We need to build differently. We have to experiment and offer new types of housing," added Hertweck - a statement which largely won approval from the audience in the Chamber of Trades.

Urban architect Christine Muller intervened to encourage promoters and builders to offer "tailor-made" properties.

Muller did not mince her words on the subject. "Everyone wants a single-family home in Luxembourg, but in reality, it is not possible. We find ourselves in an anti-progressive mental state, it's almost psychorigidity... I say that, but I don't pretend to be a psychologist," she joked.

Muller believes that the creativity of construction stakeholders in the Grand Duchy needs to be stimulated. In order to achieve this, she suggested "well supervised" architectural competitions which could lead to "superb projects".

There are sufficient architects to meet the demands for original projects, Muller argued. She also suggested partnerships with promoters to diversify the Luxembourg construction landscape. Her ideas were also met with approval on Thursday evening; however, they will not resolve the current issue of stagnation on the housing market, which was acknowledged by the housing minister.

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© Gaël Arellano/ RTL Luxembourg

"Perhaps we needed this crisis to change our thinking," Kox commented. "We need alternatives. For example, I recently visited a municipality which had purchased a single-family property and turned it into a community space to accommodate seven young people."

In this context, the minister said he was pleased to have succeeded in defining shared accommodation in legislation, and renewed his commitment to the right to housing. "97 out of 100 municipalities have signed the housing pact. And fortunately, with article 29, municipalities will no longer be able to get away with not creating affordable housing."

To date, half of all Luxembourgish municipalities do not offer affordable housing. "Affordable housing currently only accounts for 2.5% of the housing stock," Kox clarified.

Muller responded that it was time to offer developers 100% of affordable housing on the market for new homes.

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