The impersonation of buildings and other inanimate objects is not a new idea. NetHood conceived the TalkingBuildings method as a community engagement tool, inspired by Bruno Latour, Wim Wenders and Louis Kahn, among others. In the SINCERE project, TalkingBuildings provides the transdisciplinary framework within wider participatory processes for the sustainable renovation of cultural heritage buildings. Key NetHood collaborators in the methodology‘s design and implementation in local processes have been Synergy Rhodes and ECOAMA.
Since the launch of this web site, there are already some success stories applying the #TalkingBuildings concept in different contexts and with different engagement approaches like the "In conversation with the historic buildings of Rhodes" led by Synergy Rhodes, the ECOWEEK series of events in Xanthi, Graz, Nicosia (online), and Romania (coming soon) led by ECOAMA, or the use of #TalkingBuildings as a campaign tool in Zurich facilitated by NetHood!
A key moment in this process and a true highlight from the SINCERE project's Rhodes pilot were two different citizen engagement workshops organized by Synergy Rhodes in the context of the European Heritage Days 2026. You can watch here a detailed documentation from the first day, where an experiential walk was prepared by the Association of Tourist Guides of the Dodecanese, after an introduction to the call launched by Radio Lyhnari.
The series of TalkingBuildings workshops in various events organized by ECOAMA is progressing in very interesting ways, and both the NetHood team and the participating students are advancing building up on the experiences from previous workshops. For example, in the most recent workshop "The Spirit of Material - Building Sustainability" hosted by the Frederick University, Nicosia, Cyprus, the TalkingBuildings Game was enhanced with three additional suggestions: 1) Choose a core tension in the process of heritage renovation 2) Use the dialogue form, and 3) Identify and clearly express the generic and the specific of your particular case study. The results were impressive and we will soon create a dedicated post. Until then you can watch the presentation of Panayotis Antoniadis in the Xanthi workshop.
Finally, on March 4th 2026, the NetHood team and their collaborators from Rhodes and Zurich participated in the European Citizen Science Association conference - ECSA 2026, "the most exciting CitizenScience event in Europe", with two contributions related to the Talking Buildings Game as a citizen science methodology, in the Rhodes pilot presented at the Showcase Pitch Session in a full amphitheater, and a new case study in Zurich presented at the panel Studying ambivalent cultural heritage through Citizen Science.
Beyond these organized processes, the TalkingBuildings Game can be played anywhere and by anyone and there are already various spin-offs. Our poster makes this generic invitation and feel free to accept the challenge!
Stay tuned!