Speakers

An architect, researcher, and expert in the field of affordable housing. He holds both Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Architecture and Urban Planning from the Cracow University of Technology. In 2024, he defended his doctoral thesis on the transformation of post-industrial buildings into residential spaces in Poland and the European Union. His research, which included studies in the Netherlands, Germany, and Italy, sought to answer whether such adaptations could create affordable housing. He also explored the accessibility of these buildings.

Since 2019, Dr. Piegza has been with the Habitat for Humanity Poland Foundation, where he is responsible for developing and implementing new initiatives in affordable housing within the Silesian Voivodeship. He served as the coordinator for the international project “Empty Spaces – Filling the Gap” (2020-2023), which focused on adapting vacant buildings to provide housing for those most in need. In 2023, he helped launch one of the first Social Rental Agencies in Poland in Dąbrowa Górnicza. Dr. Piegza also advocates for grassroots approaches to housing, such as co-housing, and currently works in the Foundation’s Warsaw office.