meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
TED Talks Daily

Why are we demolishing homes during a housing crisis? | Olaf Grawert

TED Talks Daily

TED

Ted Podcast, Ted, Ted Talks, Society & Culture, Ted Talks Daily

4.1 β€’ 11.9K Ratings

πŸ—“οΈ 4 December 2025

⏱️ 14 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Every minute somewhere in Europe, a house is demolished β€” along with the memories and sense of community it holds, says architect Olaf Grawert. Exposing the human and environmental cost of demolition for profit, he highlights a bold alternative that could address the growing housing crisis. Learn how rethinking the value of the buildings we already have could create sustainable, affordable homes for millions and reshape the future of cities.



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day.

0:12.4

I'm your host, Elise Hume. Every minute, somewhere in Europe, a house is demolished, and with it,

0:18.6

the memories and sense of community it holds.

0:22.0

Architect Olaf Gravert exposes the human and environmental cost of demolition for profit,

0:28.9

highlighting a bold alternative that could address the growing housing crisis

0:32.6

and create sustainable, affordable homes to reshape the future of cities.

0:47.2

So on January 10, Paris Hilton shared a video of her house destroyed in the LA fire. Walking through the ruins,

0:56.7

heartbroken, she said. What breaks her heart even more is knowing that this isn't just her story,

1:03.3

because so many people have lost everything. And it's not just walls and roofs that the fire

1:09.2

demolished. It's the memories and the stories that made

1:12.6

those houses homes. Over one million people liked her post, showing sympathy and support not only

1:19.4

for her loss, but for the very idea behind it. Yet, there's something that most of us don't realize,

1:26.9

which is that every minute, somewhere

1:29.1

in Europe, a house is demolished, every minute.

1:32.9

And it's not by wind, floods or fire, but by human hands.

1:38.0

And honestly, this is something I don't get, because it's not only the walls and the roofs

1:42.7

that we demolish.

1:43.9

It's the memories, the communities, and the and the roofs that we demolish, it's the memories,

1:45.0

the communities and the sense of belonging that we demolish too, and all of it at the cost

1:51.0

of the people and the planet.

1:54.0

So the question is, why do we even demolish buildings?

1:58.0

As an architect who works on renovation, I can tell you it's not because these buildings

...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 3 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from TED, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of TED and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright Β© Tapesearch 2025.