What's new in ARCH-E Dear ARCH-E community,
Welcome to this new issue of the ARCH-E newsletter!
In this edition, you will find news on:
ADC Conference by ARCH-E & ACE
ADC System Presentation - Estonia
ARCH-E New Cooperation Partners
ACE President
Winterthur Declaration
ARCH-E White Paper
Video - ARCH-E in a Nutshell
We wish you a pleasant reading,
The ARCH-E project team
SAVE THE DATE | ADC Conference by ARCH-E & ACE
The ADC Conference by ARCH-E & ACE – 23 April 2026 –
The Mix, Brussels
Improving the framework of Architectural Design Competitions in Europe
We are pleased to announce a conference on architectural design competitions as the quality-based form of procurement to foster innovation and Baukultur while finding the most economically advantageous projects. The conference will bring together experts, institutions, and stakeholders to discuss future directions for improving the framework and supporting architects as well as procurers in Europe’s architectural design competition and procurement landscape.
The programme will include a keynote speech by Adam Caruso, panel discussions with European practitioners and policymakers, workshops and presentations on relevant topics in the field and reflections on how architectural design competitions can foster innovation, Baukultur, economic potentials and transparency in the built environment.
The conference will be the day before the General Assembly of ACE, the Architects’ Council of Europe (Friday, 24 April 2026, The Mix).
A detailed agenda and registration information will be shared shortly.
We kindly ask you to reserve these dates and look forward to your participation.
ADC systems presentation | Estonia | online event | 12 December 2025
The ARCH-E project promotes high-quality architectural solutions by advocating for the increased use and accessibility of Architectural Design Competitions (ADCs) in Europe. On the way to a more accessible ADC landscape, research and professional know-how transfer by the project members map the current status in order to better understand good practices and locate topics with need for action.
Members of the project team, who are experts in the theoretical and practical aspects of ADCs, regularly give insights into national ADC systems. In our upcoming online presentation Liina Soosaar, architect and competition coordinator of our new cooperation partner, the Estonian Association of Architects will give insights in their national ADC system and Nikolaus Hellmayr, BKZT, will present ideas on rethinking the distribution of prize money within ADCs in order to compensate shortlisted architects more evenly for the efforts put into ADC entries.
The speakers will be available for questions and further exchange of ideas afterwards - we are looking forward to a thriving discussion.
The presentations will be streamed online, feel welcome to join without further registration.
12 December 2025 | 13:00 – 14:30
ARCH-E New Cooperation Partners
Four new cooperation partners join ARCH-E, we warmly welcome:
- The Estonian Association of Architects (EAL)
- The Romanian Order of Architects (OAR)
- Order of Architects Portugal (OA)
- Italian National Council of Architects, Planners, Landscapers and Conservators (CNAPPC)
Their involvement further expands our European network and strengthens our shared effort to foster high-quality architectural design competitions across borders.
Together, we look forward to fostering further cross-border collaboration and supporting architects in shaping a more sustainable and innovative built environment
Daniel Fügenschuh elected President of the Architects’ Council of Europe
During the latest General Assembly held in Prague in November 2025, the Architects' Council of Europe elected its new President: Daniel Fügenschuh!
The Austrian architect plans to prioritise the revision of EU procurement law, the promotion of affordable housing and the strengthening of quality-based commissioning, themes he has advanced through the ARCH-E project and its recent White Paper of recommendations to the European Commission.
He emphasises that architecture plays a crucial role in addressing societal challenges, from sustainability to building culture, and highlights the need to move beyond lowest-price procurement toward innovative, lifecycle-oriented solutions.
Daniel will succeed the Swedish architect Carl Bäckstrand starting from January 2026.
We wish him the best of luck for his new mandate!
Winterthur Declaration | A Transalpine Commitment to a Post-Fossil Procurement Culture
The newly signed Winterthur Declaration sets out a shared transalpine commitment to fostering a post-fossil procurement culture in the construction sector.
Recognising public procurement as a powerful lever for decarbonisation, the declaration offers clear and practical guidance for clients, highlighting the need to manage uncertainties when working with existing structures, balance sufficiency, efficiency and quality, and strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration.
Adopted at the fifth trinational colloquium of architects and engineers from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the document provides a coherent framework to support climate-aligned, future-proof planning across the region.
ARCH-E White Paper | Available in several languages
The ARCH-E consortium has published a new White Paper offering clear recommendations to strengthen quality-based procurement through Architectural Design Competitions (ADCs) across Europe.
Drawing on comparative research and the expertise of all project partners, the document outlines shared positions on how to improve ADC systems while addressing the barriers faced by SMEs, young practices and female architects.
Although all EU countries follow the Directive 2014/24/EU on public procurement, ARCH-E’s work reveals that national ADC frameworks still differ widely; the White Paper therefore includes both Europe-wide recommendations and country-specific insights. Importantly, ARCH-E’s data challenges the persistent notion that ADCs are costly to organise or lead to expensive designs: in fact, analysis shows that well-run competitions can reduce construction costs by up to 18.3%.