The European Platform for Architectural Design Competitions
_ Duration 2023 – 2026
_ Programme CREATIVE EUROPE
_ Call CREA-CULT-2022-COOP
_ Total Project Budget € 980.180,00
_ Grant Agreement model Lump Sum
Short description
The main objective of the ARCH-E project is to promote high-quality architectural solutions for the built environment by increasing the use of architectural design competitions (ADC) in Europe. There are some cross-border market barriers for architectural services that need to be overcome, such as the national frameworks and traditions of ADC structures and the lack of information exchange. These barriers exclude many architects from participating in the (cross-border) market and thus hinder competition. Small/micro-enterprises – with an above-average proportion of female and/or young architects – are particularly affected, which has a detrimental effect on their professional career. Promoting ADCs will lead to a better implementation of the Davos Declaration for Baukultur and of the New European Bauhaus in European planning and building projects on a daily basis and will help to meet the climate challenge and to improve the quality of the built environment.
The Architects´ Council of Europe’s involvement
The Architects’ Council of Europe leads the communication and dissemination activity working on the project website design and content, visual identity, communication material, newsletters and social media. The Architects’ Council of Europe will also organise the project’s final conference on 23rd April 2026.
Expected project results
ARCH-E provides architects with practical tools and resources to navigate Architectural Design Competitions (ADCs) across Europe. The ADC Map offers country profiles, regulations, expert insights, and good practices to support informed participation. The ARCH-E Glossary explains 190 country-specific terms, helping users understand diverse competition systems, while the Evaluation Tool assesses potential strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and risks in ADC entries. The ARCH-E Network connects professionals for discussion and collaboration, and the Architects’ Needs Survey gathers data to identify barriers and solutions for a more inclusive ADC landscape. Together, these resources foster transparency, accessibility, and quality in European architectural competitions. After the project closure, these results will be available at the ACE website, and the ARCH-e network will be hosted in the ACE HUB.
ARCH-E is part of the European Cooperation projects 2021-2024 Cultural strand of the Creative Europe Programme. This publication highlights the best project practices under the Creative Europe framework.
Coordinator
Austrian Federal Chamber of Architects and Chartered Engineering Consultants – Austria
Project Partners
_ Architects´ Council of Europe – Belgium
_ Croatian Chamber of Architects – Croatia
_ Chamber of Architecture and Spatial Planning of Slovenia – Slovenia
_ Cyprus Architects Association – Cyprus
_ Federal Chamber of German Architects – Germany
_ Eindhoven University of Technology – Netherlands
_ Universitat Politecnica de Valencia – Spain
_ SEPA Engineering – Germany
_ Chamber of Hungarian Architects – Hungary
For more information
ARCH-E website | Twitter page | Instagram page | LinkedIn page | YouTube channel
This project is co-funded by the European Union’s Creative Europe framework under grant agreement no 101100268
