We are pleased to announce the Architecture Design Competitions (ADCs) Conference, organised by ARCH-E with the support of the Architects’ Council of Europe (ACE).

The event will focus on architectural design competitions as a quality-based procurement method that fosters innovation, supports Baukultur, and helps select the most advantageous projects.

The conference will bring together experts, institutions, and stakeholders from across Europe to discuss how to improve the framework for architectural design competitions and how to better support both architects and public procurers.

Keynote speech

The programme will feature a keynote address by architect Adam Caruso– Caruso St John Architects– panel discussions with European practitioners and policymakers, as well as workshops and presentations on key topics in the field. Participants will engage in reflections on how competitions can enhance innovation, reinforce Baukultur, unlock economic potential, and promote transparency in the built environment.

Stay tuned!

The conference will take place one day before the ACE General Assembly, 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.

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.

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 a project co-funded by the European Union under the Creative Europe framework (CREA).