Conference Competition Culture in Europe – Architectuur Lokaal

How can architects, especially the new generation, find out what design contests are announced in Europe? What considerations should they make to decide if they’re going to participate in an architect selection abroad? And what is the chance a winning plan will be built? Architect selections for commissions below EU thresholds are not published on the official website Tenders European Daily (TED). Smaller commissions stay below the radar and, above all, not all European countries are members of the European Union.
In order to gain better insight into the current situation, Architectuur Lokaal will host a two day international conference in Amsterdam: Competition Culture in Europe, on September 28 and 29. The conference will mark the start of a four-year program on competition culture in Europe.

Survey
Architectuur Lokaal has mapped out the competition culture in seventeen European countries by means of the Steunpunt Architectuuropdrachten & Ontwerpwedstrijden (Helpdesk Architectural Commissions and Design contests), Project Compass CIC and the correspondents of A10 new European architecture Cooperative. At the conference, the results of the survey will be shared among the participating countries. The results will be analyzed in-depth in the presence of the researchers, various architectural organizations and other stakeholders from European countries. Afterwards, the preliminary results will be published online. Participation by invitation only.

Four-year program Architectuur Lokaal is the only independent organization in the Netherlands that is consistently engaged in improving the competition culture. In recent years we have noticed a growing interest in design competitions in the Netherlands. Design competitions contribute towards new solutions to new questions and offer opportunities to young architects who struggle to get access to (European) tenders. Competitions have proven to be a relevant instrument that fits well into the new relationships and positions surrounding spatial assignments.

The conference Competition Culture in Europe will mark the start of a four-year program of Architectuur Lokaal which will continue to work across the border in the coming years. The purpose of the program is to:

• Further expand cooperation on competition culture in Europe by exchanging knowledge and information;
• Increase access to competitions outside the Netherlands by disclosing the national platforms on which these competitions are announced;
• Investigate possibilities for structural cooperation in accordance with Project Compass.

Information
Read more about the contest culture in The Netherlands on the right,
For more information: contact Margot de Jager.