The Basque Country Architecture Institute and Arc en Rêve Centre d'Architecture, with the support of the Department of Territorial Planning, Housing and Transport of the Basque Government, have announced the first edition of the European Collective Housing Award. This new award aims to highlight the value of collective housing as a cornerstone of the architectural heritage of an entire continent, and to promote innovation, inclusion and environmental responsibility in its design. Submissions are now being accepted until 7 May, 2024.
The aim is to showcase the architecture of collective housing constructions and their positive impact on society, while raising awareness of the importance of housing policies and their constant renewal. The European Collective Housing Award thus aims to generate a critical debate about housing, the right to quality domestic, everyday architecture, while also proclaiming the value of European-style collective housing, with a richness, diversity and multiplicity of options once more serving as the best possible tool to revitalize cities, policies and generational aspirations.
The award is directed at all areas related to collective housing, from architecture and urban planning professionals to experts in the construction sector, users or public administrations. All of them will be able to present built developments, both public and private. The prize will culminate in a ceremony at which the winners will be announced and will form part of an exhibition that will first be installed at the Basque Country Architecture Institute in San Sebastián (Spain) and then at Arc en Rêve Centre d'Architecture in Bordeaux (France).
Internationally Recognized Jury
The European Collective Housing Award has a renowned international jury, headed by the 2021 Pritzker Prize winner Anne Lacaton (France) of Lacaton & Vassal. It is completed by Kristiaan Borret (Belgium), professor of urban design at Ghent University and maître architecte (BMA) of the Brussels Capital Region (Belgium); Emanuele Coccia (Italy), associate professor at EHESS (Paris), author and visionary thinker; Fernanda Canales (Mexico), architect, founder of Fernanda Canales Arquitectura; and Christian Hadaller (Germany), architect and co-founder/board member of KOOPERATIVE GROSSSTADT eG.
The evaluation of the proposals will focus on how each of them enriches our common concept of housing, offering new perspectives and solutions to the contemporary challenges of collective housing, in pursuit of a holistic and humanistic vision of architecture, beyond the physical limits of buildings, in order to improve the quality of life of their inhabitants and the community at large.
Open to Participants From 46 Countries
The initiative will serve as a platform to showcase innovative architectural achievements, foster dialogue between professionals and inspire future initiatives. Covering 46 Council of Europe countries, it will provide a unique platform for participating individuals and companies to showcase their projects. Specifically, proposals may be submitted by public administrations responsible for promoting national, international, provincial, or municipal developments; the development company, either individually or as a group; the architects of the development project, either individually or as a team; the construction companies participating in the development; and users of the development, either individually or collectively.
Submissions are accepted until 7 May, 2024, which can be sent here.