The European Union is currently undertaking a major review of the Public Procurement Directive, the legislation that governs how public authorities award contracts across the single market. The European Commission aims to modernise and simplify procurement rules while better integrating sustainability, innovation and quality. This process is particularly important for architectural design competitions, and the Architects’ Council of Europe is actively advocating to ensure that public contracts prioritise innovation, sustainability and architectural excellence and empower architects to deliver the highest standards of design and public value.
In this context, we are pleased to announce the Architecture Design Competitions (ADCs) Conference, organised by ARCH-E with the support of the Architects’ Council of Europe.
The event will focus on architectural design competitions as a quality-based procurement method that fosters innovation, promotes Baukultur, and identifies the most advantageous projects.
The programme includes a keynote by architect Adam Caruso (Caruso St John Architects), panel discussions with European practitioners and policymakers, and workshops addressing key topics in the field. Participants will explore how competitions can drive innovation, strengthen Baukultur, unlock economic potential, and enhance transparency in the built environment.
The conference will gather experts, institutions, and stakeholders from across Europe to discuss ways to improve the competition framework and better support architects and public procurers.
Picture: Royale Belge, Brussels. Architects: Caruso St John Architects Photo by Stijn Bollaert.
Stay tuned!
The conference will take place one day before the ACE Algemene Vergadering, scheduled for Friday 24 April 2026 at Royale Belge/ Mix in Brussels. A detailed agenda and registration details will follow shortly.
Please save the date — we look forward to welcoming you.
Picture: Royale Belge, Brussels. Architects: Caruso St John Architects Photo by Stijn Bollaert.
About the Royale Belge / The Mix – Excerpt from the Caruso St John Architects website.
This commission was won in a competition organised by the City of Brussels. The design is a collaboration with Antwerp-based Bovenbouw Architectuur and was developed in partnership with Brussels-based DDS+ architects. Located in the south-east of Brussels, in a landscape of lakes and beech trees, the Royale Belge building is a fine example of 1960s corporate architecture. Designed by the renowned Belgian architect René Stapels in collaboration with architect Pierre Dufau, the building was completed in 1970 as the headquarters of the Royale Belge insurance company. Its cross-shaped tower and large two-storey podium contained offices, conference and training facilities for around a thousand of the company’s staff. A landmark in Brussels’ architectural landscape, both the 80,000 m2 building and its surrounding landscape received regional heritage protection in 2019.
The project won the European Heritage Europa Nostra Award.
About the EU-funded project ARCH-E
ARCH-E’s main objective is to promote high-quality architectural solutions for the built environment by increasing the use of Architectural Design Competitions (ADC) in Europe and by helping architects overcome cross-border barriers, especially for small and/or female-led practices. The amount of cross-border participation in ADCs is critically low. ARCH-E aims to create a more accessible ADC landscape that incorporates the core principles of New European Bauhaus, the Davos Declaration and Baukultur as defined by ACE. ARCH-E’s consortium, reaching over 560,000 architects, is pursuing these goals through the means of research, practical support and political advocating. This website provides reports and other research results, online tools like the ARCH-E network, a ADC specific glossary, an ADC map and a ADC evaluation tool.
ARCH-E is een project dat medegefinancierd wordt door de Europese Unie in het kader van Creatief Europa (CREA).
