The fourth edition of the LFE’s flagship course, the Living Future Europe 2025 Masterclass, is now underway — a journey of exploration and collective discovery. With the first three units completed, we’ve already welcomed inspiring guest experts and seen the early stages of participants’ project work begin to take shape — each one as intriguing as the next. Here are some highlights from the first third of the programme:
Regenerative Mindset and Project Management
What is the context that directly impacts and is directly impacted by your project? What is the essence of your project? What are the nested systems it’s part of, and how do they interact?
These were some of the questions posed by Emmanuel Pauwels in the opening session, as he introduced a regenerative approach to project thinking. Through his guidance, participants began to shift their mindset on how we plan, design, construct, and operate our built environment — learning to recognise the larger whole(s) their projects belong to and how interconnections within those systems can unlock new potential. This perspective is key to creating the conditions that allow entire ecosystems to thrive.
Restoring Connection to Place
What if we acknowledged the many fundamental services provided by the ecosystems surrounding our buildings?
From soil, water and air purification to climate regulation, nutrient cycling, and the provision of food — designing within environmental boundaries while understanding and replicating these services is central to creating projects that are environmentally positive. In the second workshop, David Cheshire guided participants through a series of prompts to explore how this thinking could be applied directly to their ongoing project works.
Responsible and Cyclical Water Use
Can a building be fully circular in its water use — harvesting and reusing rainwater, treating grey and black water onsite without chemicals, and mimicking natural systems?
Several Living Building Challenge® certified projects around the world, including the iconic Bullitt Center, have already proven this is possible. Following a gap analysis exercise, in her session, Dimitra Theochari introduced us to advanced strategies for the Water Petal: the adoption of nature-based solutions (NBS). Her insights revealed how to embed water regeneration into the design process from the outset.
Meet Our Guest Speakers
Emmanuel Pauwels
Owner, Green Living Projects
Emmanuel’s home in the Spanish Pyrenees is the first Living Building Challenge® (LBC) certified project in Europe. His journey with the LBC marked a personal transition from sustainability to regeneration — a path he’s fully embraced. He is the founder of Green Living Projects, a consultancy focused on integrative process facilitation, and A Regenerative Place, a non-profit connecting real estate professionals pursuing regenerative practices through shared inspiration, experiences and challenges.
David Cheshire
Director, AECOM
Author of Building Revolutions: The Handbook to Building a Circular Economy and Regenerative by Design, both published by RIBA, David’s work has helped shape circular economy policy in the UK. The hierarchy he proposed in Building Revolutions is now referenced in the London Plan, and he currently advises the Greater London Authority on implementing the Circular Economy Statement Guidance. Regenerative by Design explores how buildings can become an active part of the ecosystem and showcases several LBC-certified projects.
Dimitra Theochari
Founder and Managing Director, ensphere; Project Manager, ATP architects engineers
An engineer and landscape architect, Dimitra founded ensphere, a design and engineering practice dedicated to nature-based solutions for urban ecological challenges. Her work spans food urbanism, waterfront redevelopment, public space design with a commitment to liveable solutions. With degrees in Architecture and Structural Engineering (Technical University of Athens) and Landscape Architecture (University of Texas, Austin), she brings a deeply interdisciplinary perspective to regenerative water design.
Interested in more updates from the Masterclass?
The presentation of the final project works will take place in an open-to-all session on 4 June 2025. Sign up for our newsletter below to receive your invitation, and to stay in the loop with guest insights and key takeaways from the LFE 2025 journey.
Find out more about the program details here.
