NEWSLETTER Consiglio Architetti
Europa - n° 7-06
English language version
The monthly electronic note from the Architects’
Council of Europe
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INTRODUCTION
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Welcome to the seventh issue in 2006 of
ACE Info, the regular update from the Architects' Council
of Europe (ACE) that will give you, at a glance, information
on current issues, highlighting emerging areas of activity
and informing you of matters of interest in the field of
architectural policy.
This issue is also available in French.
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Core Issues
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The ACE Summit – “Designing
for the Future – Quality of Life and the Market”
At its latest meeting, the Executive Board of the ACE confirmed
its decision to organise a major Summit on the subject of
the relationship between the market and quality of life.
The architectural profession has noted that the pressures
of the market are having a direct, and not always beneficial,
impact on the quality of life of European citizens. This
is particularly so when it comes to the built environment
and the approach that a number of policy makers are taking
to its creation, construction and management.
The achievement of the objective of the Lisbon Agenda to
create growth and jobs does not necessary need to be reduced
to purely economic criteria when it comes to urbanism and
architecture. It is a fact that the “European market”,
unable to imagine a Europe of culture, tends to regularly
ignore the more holistic and integrated approaches that
the Gothenburg Declaration on sustainable development contains.
The ACE Summit will be addressed by globally renowned personalities
(economists, sociologists and architects) as well as by
a range of important players in the built environment such
as the mayors of major cities, local and European politicians
and decision-makers. Intended to inform and motivate decision
makers and politicians, the Summit will be held in Brussels
in late November 2007.
ACE Info will return to this important event in future issues
as plans for the Summit advance.
Services Directive – Second
Reading Underway
Following the adoption of the Common Position on the proposed
Directive on Services in the Internal Market by thy Council
in June 2006, the Second Reading of the Directive in the
European Parliament is now underway. It will be recalled
that the Council through a political compromise reached
a common position on the text of the Directive that closely
reflected the amended proposal of the Commission, which
had already largely taken account of the vote of the Parliament
in First Reading.
The Parliamentary Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer
Affairs (the IMCO Committee), is the lead Committee dealing
with this important text. The rapporteur for the Directive
is Evelyne Gebhardt (PES, France) and, on the 13th September
last, she presented her draft report for the Second Reading.
In her presentation she reported that she was proposing
just 11 amendments that she believes are necessary to bring
legal clarity to the text and that do not affect, in any
way, the political agreement that was reached in the Council.
In her presentation she stated that she did not wish to
jeopardise the prospect that the Directive would be adopted
in the Second Reading, which each and everyone now seems
to be heading for, and that she was committed to avoiding
the need for conciliation and that this explained the low
number of amendments that she was proposing.
However, the report was not well received by the conservative
wing in the Parliament, by the Commission and by the Council.
In their comments on the report they clearly stated that
they felt that the amendments proposed did affect the political
agreement and that they could not be supported. It seems
that only two of the proposed amendments could receive wide
support. The discussion and vote in the IMCO Committee is
normally scheduled for the 5th and 9th October, after which
it will be possible to better judge if the Directive is
likely to have a smooth passage in the Parliament, with
the vote in the Committee scheduled on 23rd October and
in plenary sitting in November. If this happens than it
can be expected that the Directive will be adopted before
the end of the year, with publication in the Official Journal
of the EU in early 2007.
In the meanwhile another 32 amendments have been tabled,
some of them by the rapporteur, which brings the total number
of amendments to 43. From a quick analysis it appears that
the additional amendments are largely meant to clarify the
interpretation of articles 1 and 2.
From the point of view of the architectural profession,
the Special Work Group of the ACE on the Directive met and
debated the issues. It concluded that there are no particular
issues that arise from the work in Second Reading and that
none of the proposed amendments with have additional impact
on the profession. It decided that it is therefore time
to begin to take concrete pro-active steps to prepare for
the transposition of the Directive, notably in respect of
the chapter on quality of services, which offers opportunities
to further promote such quality in architectural services.
More on this in a later issue of ACE Info.
http://europa.eu.int/comm/internal_market/services/services-dir/proposal_en.htm
Building in Safety – 2 Years
After and the Evaluation of the Temporary and Mobile Sites
Directive
The ACE has been an active participant in the European Construction
Safety Forum that was set up in 2005 after the signing of
the Bilbao Declaration on Building in Safety. This Forum
brought together the 7 signatories of the Bilbao Declaration
and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in order
to ensure a positive follow-up to the commitments made in
the signing of the Bilbao Declaration. Specifically, the
ECSF was charged with the organisation of a follow-up event
to the Bilbao Summit at which the Declaration had been signed.
That follow up event took place in the premises of the European
Economic and Social Committee (EESC) on the 21st September
2006 and was attended by about 80 high level actors in the
construction sector.
At the event, the partners in the ECSF reported on the achievements
they have made in the two years since the signing of the
Bilbao Declaration. These presentations were complemented
by a number of other presentations that presented the statistical
picture of Safety and Health in the Construction Sector
and the actions being taken by a number of Member States
(The Netherlands, Finland and Spain). The general picture
that emerged was that progress has been made in improving
Health and Safety on construction sites with a generally
downwards trend in accident rates and deaths, but that there
is much left to do. The partners clearly demonstrated that
they are actively engaged in the objective to reduce accidents
and that they are ready to work in partnership to accelerate
the positive steps taken.
The European Commission was also present and it presented
the background to legislation in occupational safety and
health with an emphasis on the Temporary and Mobile Sites
Directive (TMS Directive). It reported that an evaluation
of the transposition of the TMS Directive to national law
and its implementation in national laws is underway. This
evaluation is based on national reports delivered earlier
this year by the various national ministries responsible
for the issues in each Member State. These reports have
been analysed by an external consultant and a Communication
of the Commission on the outcome of the evaluation is due
to be published by the end of the year. The ACE publicly
reported that, to its knowledge, none of the affected stakeholders
had been consulted for this evaluation of the TMS Directive,
at least not at European level. In reply the Commission
issued an invitation to any of the partners in the ECSF
to visit it in Luxembourg to debate any concerns that they
may have and invited them to make comments on the evaluation
after it is published. In this way the stakeholders can
become closely involved in any potential actions that will
arise. The ACE intends to take the Commission up on its
invitation and to call for the provisions of the TMS Directive
to be revised so as to more appropriately reflect the distribution
of responsibilities in the chain of actors that are involved
in construction.
For more on the follow-up event and to view the presentations
made on the day, visit:
http://ew2004.osha.europa.eu/
Meeting Between the ACE and the
DG Competition of the European Commission
On the 7th September last, the ACE met with representatives
of the DG Competition to discuss issues that affect competition
in professional services. The meeting was called by the
ACE with the objective of seeking clarification from the
Commission on a number of issues, particularly seeking guidance
on the question of establishing and publishing information
systems on the cost of professional (architectural) services.
The establishment of such systems is deemed by the ACE to
be essential for both the consumer and the profession. It
is necessary for the consumer (client) to be informed of
how much it will cost to employ an architect to provide
him or her with a defined set of services. It is also necessary
for the profession so that it can be properly resourced
in order to provide a high quality of service to the consumer
while ensuring also the sound operation of his/her undertaking.
However the meeting was not productive as the Commission
stated that it was not going to give comfort to the profession
and that it was up on it to decide on what measures it would
take and then face any consequences that arise. Furthermore
it stated that the ACE could not refer to the proceedings
of the meeting at any future time as an indication of the
position of the Commission. Consequently the Commission
did not provide the clarifications sought, and hence did
not assist in providing legal certainty. It was clear from
the meeting that the DG Competition has only one concern:
the narrow enforcement of Articles 81 and 82 of the Treaty
establishing the European Union. The ACE having pointed
out the apparent contradiction between the current actions
of DG Competition in the filed of professional services
and other fundamental objectives of the Treaty of the European
Union (notably the provisions or Article 2), the Commission
officials said that they would not take account of wider
concerns in the DG’s work as it is not their remit.
The Executive Board is due to debate the outcome of this
meeting and to decide on the next steps that the ACE should
take in relation to competition issues.
Italy – Bersani Decree –
A Frontal Attack on Professional Chambers
Italy is currently experiencing a profound attack on its
Professional Chambers by the government and, as a result,
by public opinion and the media. There is large discontent
and anxiety among professionals, not so much for the abolition
of the fee system that Italy has enjoyed, but also for the
repercussions in the wider, societal, context. This has
arisen following the publication of the Bersani Decree in
August 2006. The way the decree was brought in was unprecedented
insofar as it was issued and approved without the slightest
consultation with any of the affected professions and apparently
without the knowledge of the Minister responsible for these
matters. There has been much strong reaction to the Decree
in Italy with several strikes by certain professions. At
the time of writing the situation is still not entirely
clear and the professions are organising themselves to make
positive proposals for a reform of the professions, thereby
also hoping to thwart those elements of government that
would like to see the abolition of all professional Chambers,
to the predictable detriment of consumer protection and
public interest.
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ACE Matters
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First General Coordination Meeting
of the ACE
The first General Coordination meeting of the ACE under
its new Statutes, a new configuration for debating issues
that are ready for formal adoption at the General Assembly
of the ACE, was held in Brussels on the 8th September last.
This configuration arises from the new working structure
of the ACE and the meeting was Chaired by the President
of the ACE. There were over 30 delegates from the Member
Organisations of the ACE present and they undertook a detailed
technical debate on a number of crucial issues including
Continued Professional Development, Information Exchange
Systems, the transposition of the Qualifications Directive,
Procurement and Competition Issues and, last but not least,
urban issues in the context of the new generation of the
Structural Funds.
The delegates present judged that the meeting was highly
effective and there were calls for the ACE to hold at least
two such meetings per year.
International Conference in Vilnius
adopts Resolution
On 22 September a Conference organised by the Association
of Lithuanian Architects took place in Vilnius (Lithuania).
Representatives from the profession in neighbouring countries
(Estonia, Latvia, Poland) and from the Architects’
Council of Europe attended the conference; the President
of the ACE, Jean-François Susini, and the Secretary
General, Alain Sagne, made presentations. The Conference
adopted a Resolution that notably points to the special
role that the “New” Member States can play for
the promotion of sustainable quality in the built environment
in the context of the implementation of the Structural Funds
(2007-2013). It also further emphasised the need to ensure
that procurement procedures, in particular in public procurement,
effectively include adequate, quality-based and sustainability
selection criteria, notably through the use of architectural
design competitions.
On the fringes of the Conference the ACE President and Secretary
General together with a delegation from the AAL had official
contacts with the President of the Lithuanian Parliament,
the Minister of Environment (that is primarily responsible
for architecture) and the Vice-Minister of Culture.
The Resolution can be obtained at the AAL, by contacting
Davia Velickaite, Executive Director by e-mail at: architectu.sajunga@takas.lt
UNSFA Congress to Concentrate on
European Issues
The Union Nationale des Syndicats Français d’Architectes
(UNSFA), one of the three French Member Organisations of
the ACE is to hold its annual Congress in Strasbourg from
the 19th to the 21st October 2006 with the theme of “Architecture,
Politics and Europe”. The UNSFA has invited persons
from a high number of European organisations and Institutions
to speak at the Congress and to take part in the Round Table
discussions that it has planned. The ACE will be represented
at the Congress by its President, Jean-François Susini,
who will give a keynote speech, and its Senior Adviser,
Adrian Joyce. The theme of the Congress will therefore be
examined with a particular emphasis on European issues.
The UNSFA has also organised a forum for young architects
that will run concurrently with the Congress, which will
allow for inter-generational exchange within the profession.
More details of the Congress can be found at:
http://www.unsfa.com/UNSFA/S00412E1E-00412E4D?WasRead=1
The ACE Responds to the European
Transparency Initiative (ETI)
Earlier this year the European Commission launched a public
consultation on the activities of lobbyists and their relationship
to the European Institutions. The definition of lobbyists
used in the ETI is very broad and therefore includes some
of the activities of the ACE, despite the fact that it is
not a lobbying organisation in the commonly understood definition
of the term, but a representative organisation. For this
reason the ACE responded to the consultation stating that
a better definition of the various types of lobbyists is
needed and that any rules of conduct that may be drawn up
should take full account of these differences.
The ACE had also contributed on the same topic to a Hearing
organised by the European Economic and Social Committee
(EESC) on 11th July 2006, in the presence of Commissioner
Siim Kallas, Vice-President of the Commission, during which
it had e.g. expressed the view that it is more important
to learn what is being lobbied on and with what results,
rather than by whom.
The response of the ACE can be accessed at the following
website:
http://ec.europa.eu/comm/eti/contrib_3.htm
The general page for the ETI is:
http://ec.europa.eu/comm/eti/index.htm#4
New Look for the Website of the
CNOA(F)
The Conseil National de l’Ordre des Architectes (CNOA(F)),
one of the French Member Organisations of the ACE, has recently
launched a re-designed website that puts the work of French
architects and of the regional orders in a prominent position
on the website. To explore the new website go to:
http://www.architectes.org/accueils/cnoa
ACE Events and Meetings in September,
October and November 2006:
Finance Committee Meeting – 29th September –
Brussels
Executive Board Meeting – 29th and 30th September
– Brussels
Work Group Research Meeting – 11th October –
Brussels (To be confirmed)
Joint Working Party with the EAAE – 6th November –
Brussels
Executive Board Meeting – 16th November – Brussels
General Assembly Meeting – 17th and 18th November
– Brussels
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Other Matters
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9th Meeting of the Heads of Schools
of Architecture – Hania, Crete
The 9th Meeting of the Heads of Schools of Architecture
took place in Hania, Crete from the 2nd to the 5th September
last. There were two main elements to the meeting, the first
being the 9th Meeting of the European Network of the Heads
of European Schools of Architecture (ENHSA) and the second
being the General Assembly of the European Association for
Architectural Education (EAAE). The ACE was represented
by its Senior Adviser, Adrian Joyce and the Chair of the
ACE Work Group on Education, Jean-Paul Scalabre, was also
present, though in his capacity as representative of the
French Architects’ Organisations. The meeting served
to further cement the good relationship that has developed
between the ACE and the EAAE through the Joint Working Party
and underlined, for both parties, the real value to be gained
through cooperation on issues such as the recognition of
qualifications.
One session of the meeting was dedicated to the expectations
of the profession on the competences of graduate architects.
The material for debate in this session was sourced from
the ENHSA Questionnaire on competences that was launched
in July 2006. The ACE promoted the questionnaire among its
Member Organisations who, in turn promoted it among their
individual architect members. As a result over 420 completed
questionnaires were received from the profession by the
20th August. The overall results showed that the first competence
that the profession expects from graduate architects is
an ability for analytical and critical thinking. It was
shown that the expectations of the profession do not match
those of the educators, although there is much common ground.
The interim results of the questionnaire will be published,
in due course, on the website of the ENHSA.
In the meantime, the questionnaire will remain open for
answers until May 2007 and the ACE encourages any Member
Organisation or reader that has not yet answered this important
questionnaire to do so by logging on to:
http://www.enhsa.net/tuning.htm
Parliament Adopts Report on Cultural
and Architectural Heritage
On the 7th September last, the European parliament adopted
an own initiative report by the Greek Socialist and President
of the Culture and Education Committee, Nikolaos Sifunakis
on protecting European cultural and architectural heritage
in rural areas and on islands. The report highlights the
special difficulties that are faced in trying to protect
such heritage in remote areas and notes that funding for
such work is very scarce. The report recommends measures
such as systematic studies, legislation, the granting of
funding for restoration of local heritage and training for
heritage management and conservation experts.
The Commission commented, during the adoption, that it welcomed
the interesting ideas put forward in the report and that
it hoped there would be more funding available under the
Culture 2007 programme for the preservation of European
cultural and architectural heritage. To download the report
go to:
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/omk/sipade3?PUBREF=-//EP//NONSGML+REPORT+A6-2006-0260+0+DOC+PDF+V0//EN&L=EN&LEVEL=2&NAV=S&LSTDOC=Y
Secretary General Chosen for the
Scientific Council of the ERC
On the 30th August last, the Scientific Council of the European
Research Council (ERC) chose its future Secretary General.
This Council will, within the framework of the 7th Framework
Programme for Research and Development (FP7), select the
exploratory projects to be financed by the Community budget.
The first Secretary General will be Ernst Ludwig Winnacker,
professor of biochemistry at the University of Munich. He
will serve for the period January 2007 to July 2009. He
will then be succeeded by Andreu Mas-Colell, professor of
economics at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona.
He will serve for the period August 2009 to December 2011.
Commission Adopts strategy to Boost
Innovation
On the 13th September, the European Commission adopted a
communication entitled “Putting knowledge into practice
– a broad based innovation strategy for Europe”.
The strategy is due to be debated by the Council of Ministers
on the 25th September who will make recommendations on the
strategy for the attention of the informal European Council
of Lahti on the 20th October next. The Communication proposes
ten actions to boost innovation that includes an action
on stimulating innovation through public procurement that
is intended to stimulate innovation and allow Member States
to enjoy the opportunities offered by the new directives
on Public Procurement.
For more information go to:
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/06/1181&type=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
Winners of the 2006 EESC Prize
for Organised Civil Society Announced
The winners of the inaugural EESC Prize for Organised Civil
Society was officially awarded on the 13th September to
the European Physical Society (EPS). The second prize was
shared by the European Civic Forum and a Hungarian body,
the Future of Europe Association. The Prize was created
at the initiative of the outgoing President of the EESC,
Mrs. Anne-Marie Sigmund, to reward and encourage either
intellectual work or concrete actions on a definite theme
each year. The theme for the first award was “European
identity as and essential element for European integration”.
For more on this award, go to:
http://eesc.europa.eu/sco/prize_civ_soc/index_en.asp
Commission Takes Climate Change
Awareness Campaign into Schools
As it is convinced that awareness of the problems of global
warming must begin in school in order to increase the chances
of the EU fighting effectively against climate change, the
Commission has decided to extend its public awareness campaign
on climate change to schools. It has prepared educational
material specifically aimed at schools and posted it on
the website of the campaign. The key message of the campaign
is that we must act together in all possible (even very
small) ways in order to combat global warming and climate
change. The website of the campaign contains a range of
tools that can be used to promote awareness and is worth
a visit:
http://www.climatechange.eu.com
New Museum of Architecture Opens
in Maastricht
The NAi opened in Maastricht at the start of September and
it promises to become an experimental laboratory for the
new urbanism and architecture that is animating the Meuse-Rhine
Euroregion. Its strategic position close to the borders
of Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg reflects its ambitions
to be a truly European museum. Its first exhibition is entitled
“New Faces in European Architecture” and it
will run through until the 14th January 2007. For more information
go to the website of the NAi at:
http://www.naimaastricht.nl
Hous-Es Seminar in Duisburg
The Urbact network, Hous-Es (urban regeneration, large housing
estates), of which the ACE is an associate partner, held
a seminar in Duisburg, Germany from the 11th to the 13th
September last. This was a well attended event with much
interest show in the urban regeneration projects that are
underway in this city located in the north of Germany. The
ACE was represented at the event by its Secretary General,
Alain Sagne. Olgierd (Roman) Dziekonski (Poland), who is
a Member of the ACE Executive Board, also attended in his
capacity as URBACT Expert and made a presentation, and also
Antonio Borghi, Chairman of the ACE Work Group Urban Issues,
who was there representing the Politecnico di Milano, who
is also an associate partner. All presentations made have
been uploaded to the following site for those that would
like to learn more about the network and its activities:
http://www.urbact.eu/hous-es
Unofficial Listing of EC Funded
Construction Research Projects
Since the end of the E-CORE action in 2004, the European
Council for Construction Research, Development and Innovation
(ECCREDI) has been keeping an updated list of ongoing EU-Funded
construction related Research projects on its website. The
list is a valuable document for tracking what is happening
in this field and for mapping subjects for future projects.
Furthermore it is a potential source for finding potential
partners with many links to project websites. The list can
be consulted at:
http://www.eccredi.org/FP6_Projects.pdf
Energy Efficiency Action Plan
The European Commission is expected to launch an ambitious
energy efficiency action plan as a follow-up to the public
consultation on its Green Paper “Doing More With Less”.
According to press sources that have seen advance drafts
of the plan, the Commission will build its plan on four
pillars. These are the promotion of behavioural change in
society, the use of legal instruments to ensure that existing
laws are fully used, financial instruments to motivate action
in the field and global aspects that include trade and development
policy. The ACE Work Group on the Environment and Sustainable
Architecture is awaiting the publication of the plan and
it will carry out an analysis of its contents in order to
advise the Executive Board of what actions the Member Organisations
of the ACE can undertake in order to ensure that the profession
is at the forefront of promoting energy efficiency in the
construction sector. For information on the Commission Green
Paper, go to:
http://ec.europa.eu/energy/green-paper-energy/index_en.htm
CONCERTO – Action Against
the Consequences of Rising Energy Prices in Europe
CONCERTO was opened at an event in Brussels held from the
3rd to the 5th July and it brought together over 100 representatives
from 28 local community projects that are actively demonstrating
innovative integrated energy concepts. CONCERTO is co-funded
by the European Commission and is intended to help promote
and achieve a more sustainable future for Europe’s
energy needs at an affordable cost. The initiative works
with the cooperation and attention of market actors such
as technology providers, installers, decision makers, users,
politicians , businesses and citizens. More information
can be accessed at:
http://concertoplus.eu/
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Publications
____________________________________
None to note this edition
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Events
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European Forum for Architectural
Policies (EFAP) – Celebrating the Everyday
To be held in Helsinki as part of the official programme
of the Finnish Presidency, this EFAP event will address
the beauty of the everyday environment in which we live
and work and will look at methods for the procurement of
quality architecture in the context of regional or city
architectural policies. A meeting of the EFAP Steering Committee
will also be held on the occasion of this event as well
as the first Extraordinary General Assembly of the newly
formed EFAP supporting Association (AISBL under Belgian
law). Attendance is by invitation only and further information
can be found on the website of the EFAP at:
http://www.architecture-forum.net/indexb.php?sect=1&lg=en
Eurocities 2006 – Conference
and AGM
The next Eurocities Conference and AGM will take place in
Manchester (UK) from the 22nd to the 25th November. The
theme for the event will be “Knowledge Cities: Villes
du Futur” and it will examine what it really means
to create a “Knowledge City” and how to convert
intellectual activity and creativity into economic activity
that includes citizens. Full details can be accessed at:
http://www.eurocities2006.com/public/index.html
Universal design of Buildings –
Tools and policy
To be held in Bruges, Belgium on the 16th and 17th November
2006, this conference is being organised by POLIS/BAS and
will present the results of the POLIS and BAS Projects to
an open audience. For further details and registration forms,
go to:
http://www.polis-ubd.net/conference
Why do Companies Care about Europe?
This event will be held in Brussels on the 17th October
and is organised by UNICE. There will be a number of high
level speakers at the event and it will look at a wide range
of EU Policies that affect business. For more information
go to:
http://www.unice.org/content/default.asp?PageId=401
EPIC 2006 AIVC
The 4th European Conference on Energy Performance and Indoor
Climate in Buildings will be held in conjunction wit the
27th Conference of the Air Infiltration and Ventilation
Centre from the 20th to the 22nd November in Lyon, France.
For full details go to the conference website at:
http://epic.entpe.org
EURAU’06
To be held in Brussels, Belgium from the 11th to the 14th
October 2006, this European Symposium research in architecture
urban and landscape design, that is sponsored e.g. by the
ACE, will be dedicated to the theme “Architecture
and heritage”. Full details can be found at:
http://www.eurau06.be
ECTP Conference 2006
The second plenary meeting of the European Construction
Technology Platform (ECTP) in the research sector will be
held in Versailles, France on the 21st and 22 November 2006.
The event will be an ideal occasion to assess progress made
by the ECTP in the past year and to become informed of its
work. Full details can be found at:
http://www.ectp.org/plenary.asp
Listing of events relating to Urban
Issues
The European Urban Knowledge Network (EUKN) maintains a
very good listing of events that relate to urban issues
on its website, many of which are interest to architects.
It can be accessed at:
http://www.eukn.org/eukn/meetings/index.html
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Calls for papers
____________________________________
The ACE frequently receives notifications of “Calls
for Papers” for conferences and seminars worldwide.
You may have written a thesis or doctorate paper that you
would like to present or you may have an idea that you wish
develop and to share with a wider audience – here
is your chance:
Advertising the City
In connection with the UIA (International Union of Architects)
Programme “Architecture and Tourism” the city
of Kavala, Greece is organising a conference to be held
on the 9th and 10th November 2006 on the theme of the branding
of cities that assists those cities to prosper. A call for
papers has been launched with a deadline of the 15th October
2006 for abstracts and the 27th October for final papers.
In order to ensure the participation of a wide range of
international experts the city of Kavala will cover travel
and accommodation costs. For further information send an
e-mail to:
detakav@otenet.gr
or
imitsi@tee.gr
World Sustainable Energy Days (WSED)
2007
An invitation to submit papers on the themes for the WSED
2007 has been launched with a deadline for submission of
abstracts set on the 18th October 2006. The four themes
are energy efficiency in buildings, industry and transport;
renewable energy sources; pellets and “Energy Future
2030”. for full details go to:
http://www.wsed.at/wsed/index.php?id=1657&L=1#2537
Entrepreneurship Support in Historical
and Traditional Centres, Monuments and Buildings
In connection with the UIA (see above) Programme “Architecture
and Tourism” the city of Kavala, Greece is organising
a Congress on this theme to be held on the 24th and 25th
November 2006. The aim of the Congress is to highlight successfully
realised projects in historical and traditional centres
that emphasises how entrepreneurship can be central to success.
A call for papers with a deadline for submission of abstracts
of the 27th October 2006 has been issued and in order to
ensure the participation of a wide range of international
experts the city of Kavala will cover travel and accommodation
costs. For further information send an e-mail to:
detakav@otenet.gr
or
imitsi@tee.gr
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Competitions
__________________________________________
Valencia Del Mar
Approved by the UIA, this competition is open to architects
from around the world and is an ideas competitions for the
waterfront of Valencia in Spain. Registration opens on the
1st October and ends on the 31st October. Total prize money
will be €300,000. Full details can be found at:
http://www.valencia2007.com
Summary of current competitions:
http://www.arplus.com/competition/competiton.htm
__________________________________________
Useful links
__________________________________________
European Commission homepage
http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/index_en.htm
Search page for Commission documents
http://www.europa.eu.int/prelex/rech_simple.cfm?Cl=en
The Barroso Commission:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/commission_barroso/index_en.htm
Website of the Finnish Presidency
http://www.eu2006.fi
European Forum for Architectural Policies
http://www.architecture-forum.net
Sustainable building website
http://www.sustainablebuilding.info
Collegi d’Arquitectes de Catalunya
(COAC) international relations database:
http://www.coac.net/international/
Consiglio Nazionale degli Architetti, Pianificatori,
Paesaggisti e Conservatori (CNAPPC) database - ArchiEuro:
http://www.archieuro.archiworld.it
Website of the European Construction Technology
Platform:
http://www.ectp.org
EU Impact Assessment in Practice
Consult a list of impact assessments that the EU has carried
out on various legislative packages at:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/secretariat_general/impact/index_en.htm
Register of Expert Groups of the European
Commission:
http://europe.eu.int/comm/secretariat_general/regexp/
ArchiEuropa website – comparative
information on practice of architecture:
http://www.arvha.net/selectionlang.php?s=AXMIG1FZFB
Archi-Student website – a wealth of information on
schools and students of architecture in Europe:
http://www.archi-students.org
Website of the UIA Practice Commission – contains
useful information on the work of the global architectural
association, UIA, on practice related issues:
http://www.aia.org/about_uia
ACE Website
http://www.ace-cae.org
USEFUL TIP:
In the website addresses given in ACE Info for the documents
of the EU, you will frequently see the following near the
end of the address: “_en”. These two letters
define the language of the document (English in the case
of “en”) and you can usually change these two
letters in order to bring you to a different language version
as follows:
French _fr German _de Danish _da Swedish _sv
Italian _it Spanish _es Greek _el Dutch _nl
Portuguese _pt Finnish _fi Czech _cs Maltese _mt
Estonian _et Latvian _lv Lithuanian _lt Polish _pl
Hungarian _hu Slovene _sl Slovak _sk
_____________________________________
EDITOR’S NOTE
____________________________________
The editorial board for the compilation of ACE Info is:
The ACE President: Jean-François Susini
The ACE Vice-President: Luciano Lazzari
The Secretary General of the ACE: Alain Sagne
Senior Advisor to the ACE: Adrian Joyce
ACE Info is issued on a regular basis,
with about ten editions issued per year. You are free to
circulate the document as widely as you wish, to translate
its contents for use in your publications and to refer to
the information it contains once you credit the ACE as the
origin.
If you wish to receive ACE Info regularly
and you are not on the mailing list, you can register online
at: http://www.ace-cae.org/Public/fsPublicNetwork_EN.html
If you have information that you wish to have included
in the next edition then e-mail it (in English or French
please) to adrian.joyce@ace-cae.org.
The deadline for submissions is the first Friday of each
month.
_____________________________________
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
_____________________________________
The editorial board wishes to acknowledge
the sources of information for this edition of ACE Info
which include the ECCREDI, le journal de l’architecture
(Belgium), the European Urban Knowledge Network, the Euractiv
website (http://www.euractiv.com)
and Bulletin Quotidien Europe.
_____________________________________
adrian.joyce@ace-cae.org
– Comments and contributions welcome
