At the upcoming Forum Architecture–Window–Facade during FENSTERBAU FRONTALE in Nuremberg, Germany, Jacob van Rijs, Founding Partner of MVRDV, will give a lecture titled 'The Value of the Ugly: Anti-Monuments and the Carbon Cost of Building'.

In his lecture, Jacob will address the climate impact of the construction industry, which accounts for 39 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. He will explore how architects can rethink preservation by focusing on “Anti-Monuments” – buildings often considered ugly, unloved, or forgotten – and show how adaptive reuse and transformation of these structures can reduce carbon emissions while creating new social and architectural value.

Jacob’s lecture is part of a panel featuring other founding partners and leaders from leading European firms, including Pil Hoyer Thielst (Lundgaard & Tranberg), Marc Pouzol (atelier le alto, Berlin), and Ulrike Dix (AFF Architekten, Berlin). The Forum Architecture–Window–Facade is a long-running program within FENSTERBAU FRONTALE, Germany’s leading trade fair for architects, engineers, and building professionals, presented in collaboration with the Association of German Architects (BDA) and architecture magazine AIT.

• Date and time: March 26, 2026, 10:45 AM
• Location: NCC Ost, Nuremberg, Germany
• Find more information here.