Policy Positions

Practice of the Profession - Public

On 4 May 2019, in Innsbruck (Austria), the Architects’ Council of Europe (ACE) presented a Statement on Achieving Quality in the Built Environment, on the occasion of its Conference on the theme “How to Achieve Quality in the Built Environment: Quality assurance tools and systems”.

While there is a broad consensus on the fact that a high-quality built environment impacts positively on people’s everyday lives, it can prove difficult for public authorities, project developers and built environment professionals to assess and guarantee the quality of the buildings and urban spaces they commission and design.

The Statement includes thoughts on the meaning of quality mean and the nature of quality places and puts forward some essential features that characterise a high-quality place. The text also recalls that high-quality built environments impact on people’s perceptions - how they function and behave, the direct contribution they make to our everyday lives and how they should be considered as agents of change. Finally, the Statement highlights some key principles that should be taken into account in assessing quality of a place, as well as the best ways to put them into practice and promote high-quality architecture.

This Statement is designed to contribute to the work of the future Expert Group on High-quality Architecture and Built Environment for Everyone, for which provision is made in the Council’s Work Plan for Culture 2019-2022.

Future shapers (12/06/19)

Getting the measure of Baukultur (4-5/11/19)

ACE commentary on the Strategy for the Sustainable Competitiveness of the Construction Sector and its Enterprises  

This Reference Document was approved by the General assembly of ACE (GA1/16) on 22nd April 2016. It updates the ACE European Deontological Code originally adopted by the General Assembly of the ACE on the 19 November 2005. Its contents are not binding on the Member Organisations of the ACE but it is a Reference Document for consultation in the event that a Member Organisation is reviewing or writing a Deontological code for its own use. 

On 25 October 2019, in Paris, the Architects' Council of Europe (ACE) and the International Union of Architects (UIA) presented a Declaration on ' Architectural Design Competitions: A key tool to ensure quality in the built environment' on the occasion of the International Conference on Architectural Design Competitions held at UNESCO Headquarters.

Joint Declaration signed by ACE, the European Construction Industry Federation (FIEC), the European Federation of Building and Wood Workers (EFBWW), the European Builders’ Confederation (EBC), the European Federation of Engineering Consultancy Associations (EFCA), the European Council of Civil Engineers (ECCE) and the Ministry for Social Affairs and Employment of the Netherlands 

Taking into account the Staff Working Paper published by the European Commission in October 2013, the aim of this Policy Paper is to provide a brief commentary on issues that arise in relation to professional liability and indemnity insurance for architects in the EU. 

Through this Declaration, ACE, ARCASIA and AUA call on the UIA Council and the Vision & Strategy Council to continue to work on concrete proposals to strengthen and include the existing regional architectural organisations in an effective mutual cooperation. They commit to further develop mutual multi- and bilateral cooperation between themselves.

Declaration signed by the Presidents of ACE, the Chamber of Architects in Bulgaria, the Bulgarian Chamber of Engineers in the Investment Design and the Bulgarian Construction Chamber.

ACE Member Organisations have adopted a Quality Charter on the Provision of Architectural Services to Society as an outward sign of the profound commitment of the profession to ensuring that it lives up to the expectations of society by assuring that the services it provides to its clients are quality based and that the construction outcome makes a positive contribution to the quality of live of the citizens of Europe. 

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