Policies

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.

DECLARATION

"Architectural design competitions (ADCs) are among the most effective ways to achieve excellence in building and community design. They yield optimal concepts and plans for a given building programme, planning or landscape design task.

Because they are based solely on the quality of proposed solutions, focused on the specific needs of a carefully defined project, competitions result in high-value solutions of great benefit to end-users, adding to the overall quality of life and design excellence in the built environment.  The International Union of Architects (UIA) and the Architects’ Council of Europe (ACE) urge policymakers and government bodies to include architectural design competitions as a recommended procedure in public procurement laws, in order to promote enduring, excellent and responsible solutions for buildings and communities. 

Architectural design competitions place focus on quality-based, project-oriented procedures. Competitions in architecture, town planning and landscape design offer an excellent way to evaluate multiple design proposals in a formal, professionally driven procedure, in order to find the best project for the defined need. In accordance with evaluation criteria set forth in a competition brief, professional, independent jurors assess designs submitted by competitors. Competitions are quality-based because juries make decisions solely on basis of the quality of the proposals. They are project-oriented because their objective is to provide optimal solutions, tailored to the needs of the clients and the site. 

Architectural design competitions have produced many culturally significant buildings across the globe, including the Sydney Opera House, the Centre Pompidou, the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, the Tokyo International Forum and the Egyptian National Library in Alexandria.  We urge government bodies, public authorities and private clients to pursue quality and design excellence through competitions.  Competitions offer multiple benefits to clients, competitors and society. 

We urge government bodies, public authorities and private clients to pursue quality and design excellence through competitions."

Download the complete Declaration here.