Why are we demolishing homes during a housing crisis - Olaf Grawert

You're listening to ted talks daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day. I'm your host, elise hume every minute, somewhere in Europe, a house is demolished, and with it the memories and sense of community it holds. Architect olaf graver exposes the human and environmental cost of demolition for profit, highlighting a bold alternative that could address the growing housing crisis and create sustainable, affordable homes to reshape the future of cities.

你每天都在听ted演讲，我们每天都会给你带来新的想法，激发你的好奇心。我是你的主人，伊莱斯·休谟，在欧洲的某个地方，每一分钟都有一座房子被拆除，随之而来的是它所承载的回忆和社区意识。建筑师奥拉夫·格雷弗（olaf graver）揭露了为营利而拆除房屋的人力和环境成本，强调了一种大胆的替代方案，可以解决日益严重的住房危机，创造可持续的、负担得起的住房，重塑城市的未来。

So on january10 Paris Hiltonshared a video of her house destroyed in the la fire, walking through the ruins. Heartbroken, she said what breaks her heart even more is knowing that this isn't just her story, because so many people have lost everything. And it's not just walls and roofs that the fire demolished, it's the memories and the stories that made those houses homes over1 million people liked her post, showing sympathy and support not only for her loss, but for the very idea behind it.

因此，1月10日，Paris Hilton分享了一段她在火灾中被毁的房子穿过废墟的视频。她心碎地说，更让她心碎的是，她知道这不仅仅是她的故事，因为很多人失去了一切。大火摧毁的不仅仅是墙壁和屋顶，还有那些让这些房子成为100多万人的家园的记忆和故事，这些人喜欢她的帖子，不仅对她的损失表示同情和支持，而且对其背后的想法表示支持。

Yet there's something that most of us don't realize, which is that every minute, somewhere in Europe, a house is demolished every minute. And it's not by wind, floods or fire, but by human hands. And honestly, this is something I don't get, because it's not only the walls and the roofs that we demolish, it's the memories, the communities and the sense of belonging that we demolish too, and all of it at the cost of the people and the planet.

然而，我们大多数人都没有意识到，在欧洲的某个地方，每分钟都有一栋房子被拆除。它不是靠风、洪水或火灾，而是靠人手。老实说，这是我不明白的，因为我们拆除的不仅是墙壁和屋顶，还有记忆、社区和归属感，所有这些都是以人民和地球为代价的。

So the question is, why do we even demolish buildings? As an architect who works on renovation? I can tell you it's not because these buildings are broken, and it's not because they cannot be renovated or fixed. It's also not because we want to save energy or build better buildings for those who currently live there. In one word, profit.

所以问题是，我们为什么还要拆除建筑物？作为一名从事装修工作的建筑师？我可以告诉你，这不是因为这些建筑已经损坏，也不是因为它们无法翻新或修复。这也不是因为我们想为目前居住在那里的人节约能源或建造更好的建筑。一句话，利润。

Today, real estate is the most valuable asset in the world, so a majority of the global money flows into the buying and selling of property. And I ask you what promises most profit? New buildings, central apartments and trophy offices. In the logic of money, the old can never beat the new, and this fuels the constant cycle of demolition for new construction. Because in the logic of real estate speculators, every building is up for demolition. And this is something you have to understand. No, really, every house in which you live that promises more profit is up for demolition.

如今，房地产是世界上最有价值的资产，因此全球大部分资金流入房地产的买卖。我问你，什么能带来最大的利润？新建筑、中央公寓和奖杯办公室。在金钱的逻辑中，旧的东西永远无法击败新的东西，这助长了拆除新建筑的不断循环。因为在房地产投机者的逻辑中，每栋建筑都是要拆除的。这是你必须理解的。不，真的，你住的每一栋能带来更多利润的房子都要被拆除。

Why? Because to speculators, your house is a commodity. It's a good and just like an old toaster, you don't fix it, you replace it. So why is demolition so profitable? Well, essentially it's a question of values. So in our current system, the value of a building is measured only by its price. So in our real estate system, value and price are the same. So, if I ask you, what is the value of a house? What is the value of this building? What would be the answer? Well, in a world in which value and price are the same, the answer shrinks to a few economic factors. It's very simple. It's square meters and land location and market potential.

为什么？因为对投机者来说，你的房子是一种商品。这是一个很好的，就像一个旧的烤面包机，你不修理它，你更换它。那么为什么拆除这么有利可图呢？好吧，本质上这是一个价值观的问题。因此，在我们目前的体系中，建筑物的价值仅由其价格来衡量。因此，在我们的房地产体系中，价值和价格是相同的。那么，如果我问你，房子的价值是多少？这座建筑的价值是什么？答案是什么？好吧，在一个价值和价格相同的世界里，答案归结为几个经济因素。这很简单。它的面积、土地位置和市场潜力。

So this is the base how real estate speculators calculate. It's the base for the strategy. So they would buy a land, they pay the price for the building, they clear the land, which means they demolish the building, they build a new, so they add the construction costs and they divide it by the square meters. Essentially, this is what real estate speculation is about, how much profit you can extract from an existing building, and how much money you can make once the old building is gone and the new one is built. It's a shockingly cold calculation that turns the profit of tomorrow into a wrecking ball today, and it's based on a spreadsheet that only counts money, and it never asks what the building holds and who lives there.

所以这就是房地产投机者计算的基础。这是战略的基础。所以他们会买一块地，他们支付建筑的价格，他们清理土地，这意味着他们拆除了建筑，他们建造了一座新的建筑，所以他们增加了建筑成本，然后除以平方米。从本质上讲，这就是房地产投机的意义，你可以从现有建筑中获得多少利润，以及一旦旧建筑消失而新建筑建成，你可以赚多少钱。这是一个令人震惊的冷酷计算，它将明天的利润变成了今天的破坏球，它基于一个只计算金钱的电子表格，它从不询问大楼里有什么，谁住在那里。

But value and price are actually not the same. No, there is a difference. So the question shouldn't only be what is the value of a house, but the question should also be what is the price to your home now? What is the price of the memories and the stories? So which price do we give to family bonds, to birthday celebrations, to also the fights with our partners and these moments of forgiveness? And what price tag do we also put on community, on the neighborhoods that raise us? On the familiar faces in the hallway, on friendship? Or, on the larger scale, on the freedom of the next generation to live?

但价值和价格实际上并不相同。不，有区别。所以问题不应该只是房子的价值是多少，还应该是你现在的房子的价格是多少？回忆和故事的代价是什么？那么，我们为家庭纽带、生日庆祝活动、与伴侣的争吵以及这些宽恕的时刻付出了什么代价呢？我们还为社区、为养育我们的社区贴上了什么价格标签？在走廊里熟悉的面孔上，在友谊上？或者，在更大的范围内，下一代的生活自由？

And these are the hidden costs of demolition that no one speaks about, the hidden costs that you will never find in a budget or in a spreadsheet, all of it happening in an era of severe housing crisis where we all agree, you know, where millions are struggling to find an affordable home, where young people cannot move out of their parents' apartments, where working people are struggling to keep a roof over their head, and where even the middle class cannot afford property any longer. And beyond these struggles, homelessness is rising in almost every country.

这些都是无人提及的拆迁隐性成本，这些隐性成本你永远不会在预算或电子表格中找到，所有这些都发生在一个严重的住房危机时代，在这个时代，我们都同意，数百万人正在努力找到一个负担得起的房子，年轻人无法搬出父母的公寓，工薪阶层正在努力维持生计，甚至中产阶级也再也买不起房了。除了这些斗争，几乎每个国家的无家可归者都在增加。

But it's not only the people who suffer. The planet suffers too, because the building sector is the biggest Co two emitter on earth, yet no one speaks about it.38% come from the building industry, compared to roughly three percent for flying, a number that we discussed a lot, for instance. But it's not only the biggest Co two emitter, it's also Europe's biggest waste producer.36% of all the waste comes from the construction industry, and again to put it in context, compared to only eight percent from private households. So all the energy it takes to demolish a building and all the energy it takes to rebuild a building is only unleashed because the real values, the social and ecological values, are not accounted in our system. So we are tearing down buildings and ironically heating up both the planet and the housing market.

但受苦的不仅仅是人民。地球也受到了影响，因为建筑业是地球上最大的二氧化碳排放者，但没有人谈论它。38%来自建筑业，而飞行业约占3%，例如，我们经常讨论这个数字。但它不仅是最大的二氧化碳排放国，也是欧洲最大的废物产生国。36%的废物来自建筑业，再次将其置于背景之下，而只有8%来自私人家庭。因此，拆除一座建筑和重建一座建筑所需的所有能量都被释放出来，因为我们的系统中没有考虑到真正的价值，即社会和生态价值。因此，我们正在拆除建筑物，具有讽刺意味的是，这会使地球和房地产市场升温。

So architects are part of this value chain. Architects are part of it, of real estate speculation, of demolition for new construction. But as a citizen, I'm suffering its consequences of rising temperatures and rising rents. So the question is how can the whole value chain evolve? How can we evolve the value chain by looking differently at what we already have? And that's getting really interesting, because what do we have around us, actually? Europe is already built, and that's really the good news. Europe is built.

所以建筑师是这个价值链的一部分。建筑师是其中的一部分，参与房地产投机，参与新建筑的拆迁。但作为一名公民，我正在承受气温上升和租金上涨的后果。因此，问题是整个价值链如何演变？我们如何通过以不同的方式看待我们已经拥有的东西来发展价值链？这真的很有趣，因为我们周围到底有什么？欧洲已经建成，这确实是个好消息。欧洲已经建成。

Why? Because after the second world war we introduced policies that made rebuilding fast, cheap and easy. And this system was basically based on three key pillars, emergency policies, industrial methods and public money, and all of it aimed at new construction. And even if we don't notice it day to day, this system still writes the rule books. No, it trains us today to still see the risk instead of seeing the potential. It still trains us to assume that the new is always better than the old. And it's at the core of our legal system, which makes it not only less profitable for the market, but also much, much harder to renovate and transform.

为什么？因为第二次世界大战后，我们推出了使重建快速、廉价和容易的政策。这一体系基本上基于三个关键支柱，即应急政策、产业方法和公共资金，所有这些都是针对新建筑的。即使我们没有每天注意到它，这个系统仍然会编写规则书。不，它训练我们今天仍然看到风险，而不是看到潜力。它仍然训练我们假设新事物总是比旧事物好。这是我们法律体系的核心，这不仅降低了市场的利润，而且使其更难进行翻新和改造。

Because all of it tax incentives to subsidies, building codes to regulation and risk insurances to credits favor starting anew. The question is, what happens if we look at things differently? So now that we know it's rooted in this legal system, the market builds its strategy on, and we know about the consequences, it's the moment where we can say, how do we shift it? And I think there, it's important to understand that we humans invented that system, so we have to make it work for us instead of us working for the system.

因为所有这些——补贴的税收激励、监管的建筑规范和信贷的风险保险——都有利于重新开始。问题是，如果我们用不同的眼光看待事物，会发生什么？所以现在我们知道它植根于这个法律体系，市场以此为基础制定战略，我们也知道其后果，现在我们可以说，我们该如何改变它？我认为，重要的是要理解我们人类发明了这个系统，所以我们必须让它为我们工作，而不是为这个系统工作。

And this is what French architects, LAC core and vassal do. And I want to present you one of their works today. They look differently at what is already there. To them, every building is heritage, not because of its architectural style and not because once a famous person lived in there, but because they recognize the social and ecological value in the building. Like a torasal, they never demolish. They never demolish a building. They add, they build on, they renovate, they transform. And by doing so, they acknowledge all the energy stored in the walls and the roofs, from the thoughts to the labor to the legacy and even the Co two.

这就是法国建筑师，LAC核心和附庸所做的。今天我想向大家展示他们的一件作品。他们以不同的眼光看待已经存在的东西。对他们来说，每一座建筑都是遗产，不是因为它的建筑风格，也不是因为曾经有一位名人住在那里，而是因为他们认识到建筑的社会和生态价值。就像龙卷风一样，它们永远不会被摧毁。他们从不拆除建筑物。他们补充，他们建造，他们翻新，他们改造。通过这样做，他们承认了墙壁和屋顶上储存的所有能量，从思想到劳动，再到遗产，甚至是合作社。

And I want to show you one of their projects which proves that it's a real alternative, so that renovation and transformation are a real alternative. And we are back at the house, which is a social housing in France, the grand park in Bordeaux,530 apartments, that LAC couton vasal together with dueaux andur architects transformed how all the residents stayed in the house while the building was renovated. They worked with prefabricated elements that were craned in these elements arrived and were stacked in front of the existing building like ah, shelff, almost like a bookshelf that stands in front of the old.

我想向你们展示他们的一个项目，它证明了这是一个真正的替代品，因此翻新和改造是一个真实的替代品。我们回到了这所房子，这是法国的一座社会住房，波尔多的一座大公园，530套公寓，LAC couton vasal与dueau And ur建筑师一起改变了所有居民在建筑翻修期间住在房子里的方式。他们使用的预制构件在这些构件到达后被吊起来，堆放在现有建筑的前面，就像书架一样，几乎就像站在旧建筑前面的书架。

What they did in the second step is they opened up the old facade. They replaced the tiny old Windows with big sliding doors, opening the interior to these new winter gardens, flooding the space with light and air but also creating a generosity. You know, it's a social gesture. Also, you create generosity for those who didn't have it before. And amazing views and the numbers behind it are really stunning. Half a day to place the prefabricated element, two days to cut open the old facade. Two days to plug in the new facade,1 week to renovate the interior. So it takes two weeks to improve everybody's life now, to cut down the heating bills and to boost local businesses working on renovation and all of it at a third of the costs of a standard new apartment. So fifty five zero Euros for the renovation of one apartment compared to165 for new construction. No, and the new apartment, a standard new apartment, would never have the winter gardens. And it would never have the generosity that they can provide in their work, which is a proof that the most sustainable house is the one already built.

他们在第二步所做的是打开了旧立面。他们用大推拉门取代了狭小的旧窗户，将室内打开，通往这些新的冬季花园，让空间充满了光线和空气，同时也创造了一种慷慨。你知道，这是一种社交姿态。此外，你为那些以前没有慷慨的人创造了慷慨。令人惊叹的景色和背后的数字真的令人惊叹。半天放置预制构件，两天切开旧立面。两天的时间来安装新的立面，一周的时间来翻新内部。因此，现在需要两周的时间来改善每个人的生活，减少供暖费用，促进当地企业进行装修，所有这些都需要标准新公寓三分之一的成本。因此，一套公寓的翻修费用为550欧元，而新建筑的费用为165欧元。不，新公寓，一套标准的新公寓，永远不会有冬季花园。它永远不会有他们在工作中所能提供的慷慨，这证明了最可持续的房子是已经建造的房子。

And that's also the moment where I invite everybody to imagine that this could happen all over Europe. No, this could happen all around the world, because it is a real systemic alternative that actually could function anywhere. So now some of you might think, well, that's a nice story, but it won't work for my house because I live in a single family home, because I own an old apartment in a block in the city block. And this might be true. No, this might not be your way. But I can guarantee you as an architect that there's almost for every building a way to be renovated and transformed. So this can be your story.

这也是我邀请大家想象这可能在整个欧洲发生的时刻。不，这可能发生在世界各地，因为这是一种真正的系统性替代方案，实际上可以在任何地方发挥作用。所以现在你们中的一些人可能会认为，好吧，这是一个好故事，但它不适合我的房子，因为我住在一个独栋住宅里，因为我在城市街区的一个街区有一套旧公寓。这可能是真的。不，这可能不是你的方式。但作为一名建筑师，我可以向你保证，几乎每栋建筑都有翻新和改造的方法。所以这可能是你的故事。

But, and here is about only if we manage to change the legal system that keeps the old value system in place. We have to understand that the real innovation and real is finding and recognizing the value in the existing. Because the demolition of buildings is just as outdated as food waste, animal testing or single use plastics, all things that we as a society already agree on and have an understanding for. And this is why we say we have to create a new system. We have to create a common path and focus on one collective goal, which is to house Europe in the existing.

但是，只有当我们设法改变保留旧价值体系的法律体系时，这才是关键。我们必须明白，真正的创新和真正的创新是发现和认识现有的价值。因为拆除建筑物和食物垃圾、动物试验或一次性塑料一样过时，我们作为一个社会已经同意并理解了所有事情。这就是为什么我们说我们必须创建一个新系统。我们必须创造一条共同的道路，专注于一个共同的目标，那就是让欧洲融入现有的世界。

This is why we started an initiative, a European citizens initiative, which is a pan European project, which has a clear mission. Renovate? Don't speculate. Our movement aims to become the largest architectural initiative, advocating for new laws to make renovation and transformation the new norm, a social, ecological but also economic alternative to demolition and new construction, and all with the support of1 million citizens across the eu.1 million is not only the number of supporters we need, it's also the number of likes Paris Hilton got for her post. So I ask everyone if that many people can show support for one home lost in fire. Imagine the impact that we can make together for the millions of homes that are up for demolition right now. Thank you.

这就是为什么我们发起了一项倡议，一项欧洲公民倡议，这是一个泛欧项目，有着明确的使命。更新？不要猜测。我们的运动旨在成为最大的建筑倡议，倡导新的法律，使翻新和改造成为新的规范，成为拆除和新建筑的社会、生态和经济替代方案，所有这些都得到了欧盟100万公民的支持。100万不仅是我们需要的支持者数量，也是帕丽斯·希尔顿因其职位而获得的赞数。所以我问大家，是否有那么多人能为一座在火灾中失去的房子表示支持。想象一下，我们可以共同为现在即将被拆除的数百万房屋带来的影响。非常感谢。

That was olaf graver speaking at ted ex Berlin, Germany in2025.

这是奥拉夫·格雷弗在2025年德国前柏林ted的演讲。