We are proud to announce that Kaleidoscope has been selected as the new secretariat of Europan Norway. Our work has started at the beginning of August, and we just got back from Madrid, where all the the national secretaries gathered this weekend.
Europan is one of the largest architectural and urban planning competitions worldwide and has been running for 30 years. It is especially targeted for young professionals, and the aim of the competition is to explore and implement innovative solutions for the development of towns and cities. The competition also aims to give young architects possibilities for commissions. The secretariat has the responsibility to organise the competition in Norway, and we are looking forward to the launch of Europan 15 in March 2019.
In many ways, however, Europan is more than just an architectural competition. Europan takes the pulse of European architecture. It maps the undercurrents and upcoming trends of the young generation. It is also a unique platform for sharing knowledge internationally and debating the status quo of architecture in Europe, with innovative projects that challenge existing conventions. Every year, hundreds of city planners, developers, commissioners, architects and other professionals meet in forums organised by Europan to network, compare experiences and discuss the topics pressing the cities and site-owners. This form of exchange is increasingly relevant in the European context.
"Being part of the organization of Europan is an opportunity to contribute to change mechanisms that challenge the present and equip us in the face of the future. We feel privileged to have been chosen to continue this work," says Tone Berge, who leads the secretariat together with partners Silje Klepsvik and Miia-Liina Tommila from Kaleidoscope. Like many young architectural offices in Europe, Kaleidoscope was established as a result of a winning project in Europan competition. “We firmly believe that the field of architecture needs open competitions to be further developed, and we look forward to contributing to the development of Europan at a strategic level.”
The Europan Norway secretariat is now located in Bergen. The secretariat’s partners are The Bergen School of Architecture, The Oslo School of Architecture and Design, The Norwegian University of Science, The Norwegian University of Life Sciences, The Norwegian Center for Design and Architecture, and The National Association of Architecture and it is supported by The Norwegian Ministry of Culture. Follow our work on Facebook, Instagram and on our website and all of you under 40: Stay tuned for competition launch in March 2019!