ACE President Daniel Fügenschuh represented Europe’s architectural profession at the 2026 EAAE Annual Conference and General Meeting in Cagliari, contributing to discussions on the future of architectural education and presenting the second EAAE–ACE Pedagogy Award.

From 26 to 29 August 2026, the European Association for Architectural Education (EAAE) brought together educators, researchers and representatives of leading architectural organisations at its Annual Conference and General Meeting in Cagliari, Italy.

Representing the Architects’ Council of Europe (ACE), President Daniel Fügenschuh took part in the “Meet the EAAE Partners” session. He presented ACE’s mission, policy priorities and ongoing work in architectural education, highlighting the importance of closer cooperation between schools of architecture and the profession.

For ACE, high-quality architecture begins with high-quality education. Ensuring that future architects acquire the knowledge, skills and professional judgement needed to respond to climate change, technological transformation and evolving social needs is central to the organisation’s work.

Celebrating innovation in architectural education

A highlight of the conference was the announcement of the winner of the EAAE X ACE Pedagogy Award 2026, a joint initiative promoting excellence and innovation in teaching and encouraging the exchange of good practices among architecture schools across Europe.

The 2026 award was presented to Liesbeth Huybrechts and her teaching team from Hasselt University, Belgium, for “Live Lab.”

The winning team comprises Peter Firman, Liese Mertens, Peter Princen and Frank Vanden Ecker. Their initiative explores how live projects can connect architectural education with everyday life, creating learning environments in which students, educators and communities work together on real-world challenges.

The winning team will receive €3,000 in seed funding to support the further research and development of its approach to architectural teaching.

The jury unanimously selected the winner out five finalists for the EAAE X ACE Pedagogy Award 2026. The five are listed below:

• Liesbeth Huybrechts
  Teaching Team: Peter Firman, Liese Mertens, Peter Princen, Frank Vanden Ecker
  Title: Live Lab
  School: Hasselt University – Belgium
• Pia Fricker
  Teaching Team: Zubin Tan, Janne Keskinen, Tina Cerpnjak, Raphael Weidhaas
  Title: Immersive data interaction
  School: Aalto University – Finland           
• Sima Rouholamin
  Teaching Team: Cian Deegan, David Knight, Kevin Donovan, Johanna Cleary, Sarah Sheridan, Adam Campbell, Anna Cooke, Calbhac O’Carroll, Colin Mac Suibhne, Gavin Buggy, Kieran O’Brien, Martin Spillane, Noel Brady, Steve Larkin, Tim O’Leary
  Title: Transformative Action
  School: TU Dublin – Ireland
• Laurent de Wurstemberger & Rodrigo Fernandez
  Title: Rediscovering earth
  School: School of Architecture and Engineering of Fribourg – Switzerland
• Débora Domingo Calabuig
  Teaching Team: Javier Rivera Linares, Eduardo Puertes Espert, Mar Munoz Aparici
  Title: Resilient Rambleta
  School: UPV Valencia – Spain

The jury comprised of Cathi Ho Schar, Claus Peder Pedersen, Dag Boutsen, Daniel Fügenschuh, Dubravko Bacic, Gerhard Bruyns, Luis Rico-Gutierrez, Massimo Santanicchia, Mia Roth Cerina, Michela Barosio, Māra Liepa-Zemeša, Madeleine Maaskant, Nicolas Pham, Oya Atalay Franck, Patrick Flynn, Roberto Cavallo and Rashida Ng.

Read more about the winning project tu. Read more about the pedagogy awards tu.

ACE warmly congratulates the winning team and all five finalists for their commitment to advancing architectural education. Together, the selected projects demonstrate the breadth of experimentation taking place in European schools—from immersive technologies and transformative action to community-based learning, earth construction and resilient urban environments.

Connecting education and professional practice

The Pedagogy Award reflects the shared commitment of ACE and EAAE to strengthening the relationship between architectural education, research and professional practice. It also provides a platform for educators to develop, test and disseminate teaching methods that can help the profession respond to Europe’s environmental, social and cultural challenges.