BLOXHUB

🇩🇰 Denmark ranks among the happiest nations, with 79% of workers reporting high job satisfaction, while 🇯🇵 Japan excels in efficiency and dedication, with over 90% of employees meeting high productivity standards. However, as Japan looks to foster more independent thinking and creativity, both countries have much to learn from each other. Japanese professors, career counselors, entrepreneurs, leaders, and HR specialists visited us to explore how Danish approaches encourage young people to think independently, take initiative, and express their own ideas. The delegation aimed to learn how Danish organizations stay at the forefront of innovation, foster creativity, and build a motivated, productive workforce. During their visit, we had the opportunity to share our experiences across several key areas. 🔗 Jakob Norman-Hansen discussed the importance of sustainable urban development and how Danish organisations integrates sustainability into urban planning to create livable cities for the future. 🔗 Jacob Rask explored democratic structures and the cooperative mindset, showing how Danish values of inclusion and shared responsibility shape our communities and workplaces. 🔗 Ann-Britt Elvin Andersen delved into what Japanese and Danish work cultures can learn from each other, emphasizing how Japan’s focus on discipline and dedication complements Denmark’s approach to work-life balance, flat hierarchies, and fostering creativity. And the inspiration is mutual. We gained new insights from our Japanese visitors as well. Thank you to the Japan Consortium of Industry-Academia Collaboration in Human Resource Development and Quality of Life Inc. for reaching out. Also, thank you Yuka Harikai Drejer for indirectly introducing us through your book about Danish work culture. Sources: OECD Better Life Index & OECD Economic Surveys - Japan #sustainableurbanization #DenmarkJapan

🗞️September has arrived alongside a FRESH lineup of opportunities for learning, collaborating, and networking ▼

💡EVENT I Panel debate I JOIN US for the Urban Hub Europe event at TechBBQ 2024 to learn from test bed providers and connect with startups experienced in testing cutting-edge solutions in urban spaces and infrastructure. Through an interactive format, you'll discover how to test your own innovative solutions and meet the partners behind Urban Hub Europe, who offer access to a European ecosystem of over 1,000 stakeholders in the urban sector. Join our garden session on: 🦚 Exploring Innovative Test Beds: How to Pilot Urban Solutions Across Europe This panel will be hosted and facilitated by: Martine Reinhold Kildeby, Director, Global Networks and Partnerships When: 12 September 2024, 11:40 - 12:20 Where: Lokomotivværkstedet – Garden Session Event Highlights: 🌱Innovative Test Bed Opportunities: Discover test bed options and case studies from across Europe, showcasing real-world applications for urban innovations and strategies for testing your solutions effectively. 🌱Startup Scaling Opportunities: Learn how engaging with European Innovation Hubs can help scale your business. 🌱Urban Hub Europe Access: Connect with a network of over 1,000 European Innovation Hubs, gaining insights and access to workspaces across Europe. Explainer: A test bed provider offers a controlled environment where new technologies, systems, or products can be tested and validated under simulated real-world conditions. Get your TechBBQ ticket here: https://techbbq.dk/ Munich Urban Colab, ConTech Lab - en del af Molio, Estonian Digital Construction Cluster, Smart City Cluster, DOLL Living Lab #urbanhubeurope #techbbq2024

Our Klimafolkemødet - Pathways to Biobased Construction & Future Cities with Youth 🎙️Jacob Rask, our Director for the Regenerative Built Environment Network, joined a debate focused on the intertwined responsibilities of agriculture and construction, which together account for 60% of the global climate burden. The key takeaway? We must rethink these industries as interconnected sectors, leveraging biogenic materials to reduce our environmental footprint. 💡Integrating Agriculture and Construction: The discussion emphasized the need to approach agriculture and construction as a unified system. By aligning these sectors, we can create a more sustainable and resilient infrastructure that minimizes environmental impact. 💡Biogenic Materials as a Solution: The debate underscored the potential of biogenic materials in construction. These materials not only reduce carbon emissions but also offer a path towards a more regenerative economy. 💡Rethinking Value and Growth: A point was the idea that planetary boundaries, rather than economic growth, should be considered our household budget. Traditional financial metrics fall short in capturing true value—particularly when viewed from a global sustainability perspective. 💡Denmark's Competitive Edge: The panel proposed positioning Denmark as a leader in the biobased construction industry on the international stage. This approach could restore and enhance Danish expertise across the entire value chain, setting a global benchmark. 🎙️ The Desire an Irresistible Circular Society-led debate suggested that young people are the “indicator species” of our cities— how they engage, thrive, and advocate for change reflects the future health of our urban environments. 💡The younger generation is not just inheriting the cities we build—they are actively shaping them. The way we design our cities today will determine how well these “indicator species” flourish, and in turn, how our cities will withstand the pressures of climate change and environmental challenges. 💡The inspiration? To continue fostering spaces where young people’s ideas and energy are included. Just as indicator species in nature provide insight into the health of an ecosystem, the vitality of our youth could be a measure of our cities' success. Lots to do. We’ll be back next year. Aase Højlund Nielsen, Ann-Britt Elvin Andersen, JAJA Architects, Kathrin Susanna Gimmel, Nielsine Otto, Lisbeth Engelbrecht, Domea.dk, Aalborg University, EIT Urban Mobility, Thomas Delrive #Klimafolkemøde #SustainableCities #UrbanDevelopment

The Nordic PropTech Awards 2025 are now open✨🚀 - You can now nominate a startup or apply for a nomination for the NPA 2025 – an opportunity for Nordic Startups and Scale-Ups to showcase their solutions and connect with potential clients, investors, and partners across the region. The Nordic PropTech Awards is an initiative by PropTech Sweden, Proptech Norway, PropTech Finland, and PropTech Denmark to accelerate growth and recognize innovation within the proptech ecosystem, and we are happy to be a partner on this project. Categories for nominations and applications: 💰 Real Estate Fintech 🏗️ Contech 🏘️ Property Management 🔌 Mobility & Sustainable Cities 🔋 Energy 🌿 Sustainable & Healthy Buildings All nominees will be announced at the Oslo Proptech Summit on 25 September 2024 Winners will receive exclusive benefits, including: One-on-one meetings with jury members Mentoring and pitching opportunities Unique exposure on social media Free membership and sparring sessions with each national proptech association and more. Deadline for applications and nominations: 18 September 2024 Please note that previous nominees are encouraged to reapply. Learn more, apply, or nominate a startup here: https://lnkd.in/ezvDbkH4 VELUX, Thylander, Coor, Granlund, EIT Urban Mobility, Michael Ambjorn, Kajsa Sjunnesson, Stine Grønnegaard, Laura Katzensteiner #prptechawars #bloxhubecosystem

Can Johannesburg and Copenhagen close the distance for a greener urban future?   Standing side by side with The City of Copenhagen, a recent visit from the City of Johannesburg highlights how two cities, despite their geographical distance, can unite around a shared goal of creating more sustainable urban environments.   Being part of an ongoing strategic collaboration between Copenhagen and Johannesburg, this visit marked a significant step in their mutual efforts to strengthen ties and share knowledge across four critical themes:   🌎 Non-revenue water 🌎 Wastewater management 🌎 Energy efficiency in buildings 🌎 Climate adaptation, with a focus on flooding and urban heat   🤝 Our collaboration with the City of Copenhagen continues to pave the way for innovative public-private partnerships, connecting our members with global cities and organizations to tackle urban challenges. We are proud to contribute to this exchange of expertise, driving sustainable solutions worldwide. Jakob Norman-Hansen, Monica Magnussen, Mikkel Zinck Schrøder, Nanna Rosenfeldt, Frej Witt Skovhus, Københavns Kommune #UrbanCollaboration #SustainableCities #GlobalPartnerships #meetCopenhagenCity

SPRINT I 7 Dynamic Teams: Tackling 3 Critical Challenges on Shaping the Future of Real Estate - In our quest to discover innovative minds who can help address challenges in the built environment and property industry, we are today co-hosting an engaging sprint in collaboration with Antler and Urban Partners. With a total of 38 brilliant individuals from all over the globe, the teams will tackle three critical problem statements. Each team will present their proposed solutions in a five-minute pitch to the jury, addressing one of the chosen challenges: 🌱 Incentivizing Sustainable Renovations: How can we encourage landlords to invest in energy-efficient renovations? The focus is finding business models and technologies that address the split-incentive issue, ensuring landlords and tenants benefit from sustainability improvements. 🌱 Expanding Community-Based District Energy Systems: Despite regulatory hurdles and diverse stakeholder interests, how can we unlock the potential of small-scale district energy systems to enhance local energy resilience and reduce carbon emissions, thereby driving the energy transition forward? 🌱 Making Retrofitting Financially Viable in Europe: With the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions, how can we develop innovative solutions to make retrofitting Europe’s building stock both economically viable and sustainable? The focus is on creating cost-efficient and carbon-efficient retrofitting processes that can be implemented at scale. A special thank you to the Antler residents who are stepping outside their usual scope, bringing fresh perspectives. We hope this experience will inspire you to consider a career in urbanization and the development of smarter, more sustainable cities. A big thank you to the jury who will select the winning team: Henrik Brink CEO, Ento Dan Leonhardt, MS, MBA, Sustainability Manager, Urban Partners Michael J. Wiatr, Partner, Antler Annie Hult ESG & Impact, Antler - and Ditte Lysgaard Vind, Chief Innovation & Science Officer, BLOXHUB Also - thank you to PropTech Denmark & Laura Katzensteiner for presenting trends in real estate and PropTech. #Innovation #RealEstate #BuiltEnvironment Michael Ambjorn, Clara Reich Zackrisson.

OPEN EVENT I Desire for a New Society - Designing the Bridge to an Irresistible Future - How do we ignite an inclusive and transformative movement toward a sustainable future? What role do aesthetics play in driving the green transition? And how can these insights help us build an irresistible, circular future for all? The survival of people, species, and the planet depends on collective action. But how do we create a movement that is truly diverse and inclusive? What does it take to inspire change across nations, professions, and generations? These are the questions the EU project Desire an Irresistible Circular Society has been exploring for the past two years. You are invited to join this event where key learnings from the project are shared. 📅: 10 September 2024, 12:00 - 16:30 📍: Danish Architecture Center (Dansk Arkitektur Center) Experience a day of inspiration and engagement: Listen to insights from project partners (including our CEO Torben Klitgaard who will be on stage ), participate in interactive workshops, and immerse yourself in the vision of a circular society. Discover the innovative ideas and strategies that have emerged from our work. This event is designed for policymakers, professionals in construction and urban development, members of the New European Bauhaus movement, and anyone curious about social and sustainable change. If you're looking to broaden your perspectives and gain practical knowledge on how to build an irresistible future, this event is for you. The event is open to all. You reserve your ticket here: https://lnkd.in/dRpjgwsd Desire is supported by the EU and is a partner project of ours. Please note that the event is in English. Foto: Benjamin Hesselholdt Aase Højlund Nielsen #desire #irresistablefuture #openevent #dac

BLOXHUB GROUPS I Introducing New and Relaunched Networking Groups - Join us in the Members’ Lounge on 29 August 2024, from 16:00 to 17:00 as we introduce fresh new groups and relaunch existing networks, all designed to support your connections and collaborative opportunities. Among the new networks are Young Talent Network, Female Economy and Industrial Build Group. Young Talent Network: This new group is dedicated to nurturing ambitious young professionals and empowering the next generation of leaders in circular economy and sustainability. The group is meant to harness their creativity and drive to tackle complex challenges and advance circular economy principles. Female Economy: With women influencing over almost $32 trillion in global spending and expected to steer 75% of discretionary spending by 2028, this group will delve into how leveraging female economic power can unlock substantial financial and impact opportunities for investors and entrepreneurs. Established groups are: Wood Group AI, Tech, and Digital Construction ESG/Taxonomy Bio-based Materials Circular and Alternative Building Materials Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/dFtshDce After the event, stay on for drinks and networking 🥂 Our BLOXHUB Groups initiative is designed to facilitate business development and knowledge exchange among members. Each group has a dedicated steering committee of 3-4 individuals and a broader membership of 15-20 regular members. For questions please reach out to Christina Wissing Oppermann, cop@bloxhub.org Anna Viola Weber #youngtalents #femaleeconomy #ai #circulareconomy

NEW OFFER I Open Business Meditation on Tuesday Mornings 🧘🏽 - Start your Tuesday mornings with inner peace and a calm mind. Come join this new initiative that allows all members to participate in meditation sessions that begin with a specific theme, always focusing on your breath, body, and consciousness. Venue: House of Creative Denmark Time: Tuesdays at 8:30-9:00 Starting Date: 10 September 2024 The sessions are guided by Missona Stenderup, a futurist, speaker, and facilitator. She works at the intersection of future studies and personal development, helping individuals strengthen their relationships with the future. The sessions are free of charge. No need to sign up - just show up on Tuesdays at House of Creative Denmark on 2 Floor in the BLOX Building. Cecilie Dujardin #businessmeditation