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ACE Info 7.05

English language version
The monthly electronic note from the Architects’ Council of Europe
Issue 7-05

Introduction

Welcome to the seventh issue in 2005 of ACE Info, the regular update from the Architects' Council of Europe 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.

ACE Matters

Teresa Taboas Appointed Minister of Housing and Land in Galicia

As a result of the elections for the Autonomous Region of Galicia, held on the 19^th June last, the architect Ms. Teresa Taboas Veleiro, President of the College of Architects of Galicia and representative of the Council of Architects of Spain (CSCAE) in the ACE Work Group Urban Issues, has been appointed as Minister of Housing and Land (Conselleira de Vivenda e Solo) of the Galician Government for the next 4 years. She took up her post on the 4^th August 2005.

ACE Attends the EAAE General Assembly and the 8^th ENHSA Meeting

In a significant step towards closer co-operation with the schools of architecture in Europe, the ACE was represented at the recent EAAE General Assembly and 8^th Heads of Schools Meeting, both of which were held in Chania, Crete. The ACE was represented by Jean-Paul Scalabre, Chairman of the ACE Work Group on Education and by Adrian Joyce, Senior Adviser to the ACE. At the 8^th Meeting of the European Network of the Heads of the Schools of Architecture (ENHSA) meeting, Jean-Paul Scalabre delivered a paper on the emerging challenges to the profile of the architect in which the issues surrounding the interface between the schools and the profession were raised. This network is supported by the Socrates Programme of the European Commission and is co-ordinated by the School of Architecture of Thessoloniki.

Adrian Joyce addressed, on behalf of the Executive Board of the ACE, the General Assembly of the European Association of Architectural Education (EAAE), speaking about the importance of building a closer co-operation between the two organisations. In particular he spoke about the recently established Joint Working Party (JWP) and the two meetings that have been held to date. He reported that the JWP will be the focus of co-operative work between the two organisations. Both presentations were well received and there was unanimous support expressed by those attending the two events about the need for consolidating co-operation.

Danske Ark (Previously PAR - Denmark) has a new Chief Executive Officer

Christian Lerche has replaced Keld Møller at the Danish Association of Architectural Firms-(Dansk Ark) as the Chief Executive Officer of the organisation. The appointment comes after the retirement of Keld Møller and at the time when the organisation has changed its name and structures. Challenging times therefore lie ahead for the new Chief Executive Officer and the ACE wishes him well in his new role. Further information can be found at: www.par.dk

FAB Celebrates its Centenary Year

The Royal Federation of Architects Companies of Belgium (FAB), one of the two Belgian Members of the ACE, celebrates its 100^th Anniversary this year. A formal ceremony to celebrate the centenary will be held on Thursday 27^th October 2005 in one of the studios of the Flagey Building (an important architectural venue) in Brussels. The ceremony will be followed by the announcement of the Belgian Architectural Awards 2005 and the Energy Awards 2005 to which over 700 architects have been invited. The FAB is also one of the founding Members of the International Union of Architects (UIA). For further information write to: fauconnier.jeanmarie@skynet.be

Olga Quintanilha, Former President of the OA (Portugal), has Died

The untimely death of Olga Quintanilha, a former President of the Ordem dos Arquitectos (OA) in Portugal, has been reported to the ACE. Olga was a very active defender of the values of architecture and of the standards of the profession. In particular, she was involved, for many years, in the development and implementation of the "Architects" Directive. She will be greatly missed by her colleagues in Europe. The ACE uses this opportunity to extend its sincere condolences to her family and friends.

ACE Events and Meetings in September, October and November 2005:

Work Group Research (first meeting) – 22^nd September, Brussels
Permanent Committee – Professional Practice – 23^rd September, Brussels
Permanent Committee – Communication and Education – 24^th September, Brussels
Work Group Health and Safety – 5^th October, Brussels
Meeting of Chief Executive Officers of Member Organisations – 6^th October, Brussels
Finance Committee Meeting – 7^th October, Brussels
Executive Board Meeting – 7^th and 8^th October, Brussels
Third Meeting of the Joint Working Party of the ACE and the EAAE – 28^th October, Brussels
Executive Board Meeting – 17^th and 18^th November, Luxembourg
General Assembly Meeting – 18^th and 19^th November, Luxembourg

Core Issues

Follow-up Communication on Competition in Professional Services

The EU Commission published, on the 5^th September, its follow-up Communication (COM(2005) 405 final) on Competition in Professional Services to its earlier Communication (COM (2004) 83 of the 9^th February 2004), with as a title “Professional Services - Scope for more reform”. The report states that there are complex regulations for many professional services in the EU that are hampering competition. The professions covered include architects and so the original Communication and this follow-up report are of importance for the ACE and its Member Organisations. The Follow-up Report is accompanied by a Staff Working Paper that reviews the “progress by Member States in reviewing and eliminating restrictions to Competition in the area of professional services”.

The report and the working paper say that it is the countries with a structured programme of regulatory reform (Denmark, The Netherlands and the UK) that have been most successful in progressing this work. Other countries have commenced analytical work and some countries have made no progress. The report also draws a distinction between the different types of users of professional services stating that there is justification for some regulation for certain groups, particularly one-off users such as domestic clients. It proposes that no regulation is needed for large business clients and public bodies and that the situation for Small and Medium Sized businesses needs further study. It should be noted that the report again for a large part of its affirmations relies on the findings of an earlier study carried out in 2003 which was, and still is, strongly criticised for its lack of accuracy in the methodology and indeed for presenting biased conclusions.

Once again, the Commission has, through a purely economical approach, failed to recognise in the new report the specific features of regulated professions, notably in respect of their societal impact.

The reports can be accessed at:

http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/05/1089&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

In a related development, two Members of the European Parliament, Giuseppe Gargani (EPP-ED,Italy) and Klaus-Heiner Lehne (EPP-ED, Germany), have invited Neelie Kroes, Competition Commissioner to come to the Parliamentary Committee to “deepen her knowledge” on the subject of the report. They have stated that the Commission’s competition services “have again misjudged the special role of liberal professions” and that consequently it is not on target to create competition for the benefit of consumers. It is not yet known if Commissioner Kroes has accepted the invitation.

Commission Consultation on Action to Improve the Urban Environment in Europe

The European Commission is currently running a public consultation, via the Internet, on the expected European Strategy on the Urban Environment in Europe aimed at reducing the impact that cities have on the wider environment. The consultation runs until the 21^st September 2005 and you can contribute your views by logging on to:

http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/environment/urban/public_consultation_2005.htm

Other Matters

ECCREDI to Celebrate its 10^th Anniversary

The European Council for Construction Research, Development and Innovation (ECCREDI), of which the ACE is a founding and active Member, will celebrate its 10^th anniversary this year. To celebrate this important event, it is currently planned that a day of conferences will be organised in Brussels on the 19^th December which will be followed by a festive evening. For more information write to: myriam.olislaergers@bbri.be

Pascal Lamy Announces his Four Deputy Directors-General

Director-General Designate of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Pascal Lamy, informed the General Council of the WTO on the 29^th July last of the four people he has chosen to be his Deputy Directors General. Mr. Lamy, who took up office on the 1^st September 2005, said that he has selected Alejandro Jara of Chile, Valentine Rugwabiza of Rwanda, Harsha Singh of India and Rufus Yerxa of the United States and that they will take up their offices on the 1^st October 2005. Full information on the WTO can be found on its website at:
http://www.wto.org/

ECIA Expected to Adopt Model Code of Conduct

The European Council of Interior Architects (ECIA) expects to adopt a Model Code of Conduct at its upcoming General Assembly, which will be held in Malmö, Sweden from the 25^th to the 28^th September. The proposal and text has been prepared over the past year or so and was thoroughly debated by the Presidents Meeting of the ECIA in Hannover in January 2005. The adoption of the Code will be one plank in the work of the ECIA towards the creation of a “common platform” for interior architects as defined in Article 15 of the recently adopted Directive on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications. Further information o the ECIA can be found at their website:
http://www.ecia.net/

FIEC Publishes Information on Key Figures from 2004

The European Construction industry Federation (FIEC) has published, along with its Annual Report, the key figures on construction activity in Europe – 2004. The survey covers 22 of the EU countries This shows that the turnover of the construction industry in 2004 reached a figure of 1,004 billion euro being 9.9% of GDP in the EU-22, that it accounted for 28.5% of industrial employment, 7.2 % of total employment and 50.8% of gross fixed capital formation. Furthermore the FIEC report indicates that 26% of the activity was house-building, 29% was in the non-residential sector, 20% in civil engineering works and 25% in rehabilitation and maintenance. Further information can be found at:
http://www.fiec.org/

European Heritage Days

The European Heritage Days 2005 were launched in Prague and Chrudim, a historical town in eastern Bohemia on the 2^nd and 3^rd September. The European Commission will, from 2005 onwards, be associated with the event, which was formally inaugurated in 1991 by the Council of Europe (which directs the project) in which there are 48 States party to the European Cultural Convention. The aim if the European Heritage Days is to bring citizens closer to their cultural heritage by allowing them to discover places which would ordinarily be inaccessible to them over the weekends of September. This year the event is being organised in collaboration with the Association of Historical Settlements in Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia, with support from the city of Prague and the Czech Culture Ministry. More information can be found at:
http://www.coe.int/T/E/Cultural_Co-operation/Heritage/Ehd/

Commission Sticks to Intention to Adopt all Seven Thematic Strategies in 2005

The European Commission held a policy debate in late August on the thematic environmental strategies that are foreseen in the Sixth Action Programme for the Environment, from which it emerges that all Commissioners are in favour of implementing all of the thematic strategies. The seven strategies concern air pollution, the protection of marine ecosystems, the prevention and recycling of waste, soil protection, sustainable use of natural resources, the sustainable use of pesticides and the urban environment. The latter strategy is of particular importance in relation to the policies being promoted by the ACE in order to improve the quality of the living environment in Europe, as emphasised in the ACE Policy Book “Architecture & Quality of Life”, published in 2004. Earlier this year it seemed that the adoption of some of the strategies would be postponed, but with unanimous and substantial support in the College of Commissioners for environmental policy, it now seems that all strategies will be adopted before the end of 2005. For further information on the strategies see:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/newprg/index.htm

EU Governments set to Defy Industry on REACH

EU governments appear to be set to reject industry demands to water down the substance of the registration procedure in the Registration and Evaluation of Chemical Products Regulation (REACH) currently being debated in the co-decision procedure. This has emerged in a draft of the regulation circulated by the UK Presidency that seeks to progress the debate towards a final text for adoption. Among the key points in the UK text include tighter rules for substances in articles, clear rules for “multiple registration” of substances, a three-year deadline for the registration of all persistent, bio-accumulative and toxic substances (PBTS) and very persistent and very bio-accumulative substances (VPVBS) and the use of higher-risk substances would be authorised if manufacturers show the risks can be “adequately controlled”. To see the full UK draft text see:
http://www.environmentdaily.com/docs/50831b.pdf

Correction to Public Procurement Directives

A Commission proposal for a Directive to correct a technical error in the text of the Directive 2004/18/EC on the co-ordination of procedures for the award of public works contracts, public supply contracts and public service contracts has been tabled and is currently being considered in the co-decision procedure. The error relates to how the applicable thresholds that apply to the procedures are calculated and to how they relate to the way in which adjustments are made to ensure co-ordination with the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement. Unless the error is corrected the thresholds will, in the event of a revision, be significantly lower instead of remaining identical. It is expected that the Directive will be adopted without any difficulty. To see the Commission proposal go to:
http://europa.eu.int/prelex/detail_dossier_real.cfm?CL=en&DosId=192915

New URBACT Network to be set up

The URBACT Monitoring Committee has agreed to allow the city of Poznan (Poland) to create a new URBACT Thematic Network under the topic of “Management and Renewal of Large Housing Estates – Public Space and Quality in Architecture”. This new Network will gather cities from the EU to work on the restructuring and management of large housing estates with an emphasis on quality of their architecture. It is expected that at least 10 cities will join the Network, from medium-sized and large-sized Cities from “new” as well as from “old” Member States, and that its outputs will be of benefit to many regions of the EU. The ACE intends to join the Network as an Associate Partner and will work to ensure adequate consideration of the architectural aspects that the topic raises. Further information on URBACT can be found at:
http://www.urbact.org

John Prescott hopes to Integrate Urban Dimension in Regional Policy

In the context of preparations for the meeting of European Ministers responsible for spatial planning to be held on the 6^th and 7^th December in Bristol (under the UK Presidency), the Intergroup on Urban and Housing Issues chaired by the MEP Jean-Marie Beaupuy (ALDE, France) heard the UK Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott on Tuesday 6^th September 2005 in Brussels. Mr. Prescott, considering that it is “high time” that an interest is taken in the urban dimension of regional policy, stressed the negotiation on the financial perspectives will allow an evaluation to be made on what is needed at European level when it comes to urban policy. He said that there is no one answer to all national problems but that, in his opinion, joint financial instruments are more flexible in meeting problems and it is therefore up to each and every one to be quite clear about how the EU money is used. In reply Jean-Marie Beaupuy stated that the goals of the Lisbon strategy will not be achieved without towns and cities.

European Training in Architectural Restoration

The Institut Superieur d’Architecture Saint-Luc de Wallonie, with funding from the European Community in the framework of the Socrates Programme has, since 2001, been organising specialised training courses in the restoration of architectural heritage. The course, run in French, combines the specialised skills of several European Universities and runs over two-years. Its structure is designed to match the needs of the practicing architect and is on a part-time basis. For further information and enrolments, contact annie.boutefeu@saintluc.com or visit the website at:
www.saint-luc.org

Publications

Durability of Engineering Structures: Design, Repair and Maintenance

This 280-page report has been published by Research and Markets Ltd. sets out to explain the reasons why structures often deteriorate prematurely because of poor design, how to design structures effectively for service life, consider durability characteristics of standard and high performance construction materials and to present case studies. The book is priced at 165 euro and can be ordered online at:
http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c23122

Events

International Exhibitions and Trade Fairs

On Saturday 22^nd October 2005, the Art Nouveau Network will be organising the first of six Historical Laboratories on the topic of “Art Nouveau and Society”. This first event will be taking place in Brussels at the CIVA and will explore the influence that International Exhibitions and Fairs have had on society. The full programme and registration con be accessed at the following address:
http://www.artnouveau-net.com/french/agenda/index.html

Conservare 2005

The Flemish town of Kortrijk (Courtrai) will host, from the 7^th to the 10^th October 2005, this years annual event of the European Heritage Forum. Its aim is to promote contacts and co-operation between heritage organisations and institutions throughout Europe. The event will be built around a number of simultaneous events including a trade fair, exhibitions, conferences, a book fair, an audio-visual forum and site visits. Further details can be found at:
http://www.conservare2005.org

Architecture Research Futures

Organised by the Scottish Matrix for Architecture Research and Knowledge (ScotMARK), this conference will take place in Edinburgh from on the 15^th and 16^th December 2005. The conference will address subjects such as conceptual models for architectural research, trends and problems in research, architecture research typologies, agenda setting and the way forward. Full details can be found at:
http://www.archresearchconf.com

The A’Days 2005

The second international meeting of architects will take place in Poznan, Poland on the 23^rd and 24^th of September. Following on the success of the first A’Days event in 2004, the organising committee have decided to make this an annual event. This year will focus on the theme “Return to the River” and will feature, among a number of themed sessions, a keynote lecture by Zaha Hadid. Full information can be sought by writing to wielkopolska@izbaarchitektow.pl The language of the conference will be English.

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:

World Sustainable Energy Days 2006

This conference will be held in Wels, Austria from the 1^st to the 3^rd of March 2006 and is advertised as the largest annual conference in the field of sustainable energy use in Europe. It offers a combination of events that cover much of the current thinking in the production and delivery of sustainable energy. The call for papers on three themes is currently open and one theme of pertinence to architects is “energy Efficiency in Buildings, Industry and Transport”. If you wish to have further information visit http://www.wsed.at The deadline for submission is the 20^th October 2005.

Competitions

International competition of Estonian National Museum

With a first prize of about 45 000 EUR, this architectural competition, open to
architects from all EU Member States, is for the design of a new building complex for the
Estonian National Museum. The closing date for entries is the 22nd November 2005. Full details can be accessed at:
www.museumcompetition.org

Living Steel – International Competition for Sustainable Housing

This is an international competition, by invitation, in one stage, following a pre-selection, open to architects and teams of architects worldwide. Those wishing to be included in the short list must submit their expressions of interest before the 1^st December 2005. The organisers will select up to 20 competitors (up to 10 per site) who will be invited to take part in this project competition. Each selected team will receive an honorarium of 10,000 euro and the winning projects (one per site) will be awarded 50,000 euro. The jury includes Jaime Lerner (Brazil), Glenn Murcutt (Australia), Charles Correa (India) and Andrew Orgorzalek (Poland). Full information at:
http://www.livingsteel.org/en.news_intro.orb

Miami+Beach Bienal 2005

The Miami+Beach Bienal 2005 and the Miami Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) have invited professionals to participate in its different categories with built works from the last five years. The deadline for registration is the 26^th September 2005 with submissions due by the 26^th October 2005. Full information can be found at:
http://www.bienalmiami.com

Housing Design Competition – Scalaheen, Tipperary, Ireland

The town of Tipperary in Ireland has announced an international design competition in one stage for the design of 3,4 & 5 bedroom houses on lands of about 12 hectares. The competition is being administered by the RIAI – a Member of the ACE. The first prize will be 10,000 euro and the registration opens on the 23^rd September 2005. Further information can be found at:
http://www.riai.ie/?id=6723

European Urban and Regional Planning Awards 2006

The European Council of Town Planners (ECTP) has invited entries for the 2006 awards. Full details on how to enter can be found at:
http://www.ceu-ectp.org

Optimised Housing – A Call for Innovative Approaches to Housing (CQFD)

The French Ministry of Employment, Social Cohesion and Housing has launched a call for innovative, efficient, speedy, sustainable and economic approaches to housing that can be used to achieve the urgent needs faced in France in the Social Housing sector. Expressions of interest must be submitted before the 31^st October 2005 and teams must be in a position to commence experimental work to test and/or demonstrate their ideas in January 2006. Full details can be found at:
http://rp.urbanisme.equipement.gouv.fr/puca/consultations/frame_consencours.htm

"Architecture et Hôpitaux" Congress

This Congress will be held in Brussels on the 16^th and 17^th March 2006 and will address the following themes:

- Hospitals, light and chlorophyll
- Silent Hospitals; the struggle against noise
- Well being and environmental psychology
- Updating of architectural standards
- Architecture and process management
-Environment impact; the ecological footprint of hospitals

A poster session will be organised that will permit participants to exhibit their works. The size of the posters must be no more than 120cm x 80cm. If you are interested in either presenting a poster or a paper for this Congress, then please contact:anne-sophie.riffaud@chu-brugmann.be

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 UK Presidency
http://www.eu2005.gov.uk

Website of the Luxembourg Presidency
http://www.eu2005.lu/en
(then choose your preferred language)

European Forum for Architectural Policies
http://www.architecture-forum.net

Sustainable building website
www.sustainablebuilding.info

COAC international relations database:
http://www.coac.net/internacional/default_w.html

CNAPPC database - ArchiEurope:
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

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: Marie-Helene Lucas

The Secretary General of the ACE: Alain Sagne

Senior Advisor to the ACE: Adrian Joyce

ACE Info is normally issued around the second Wednesday of each month. 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 issue then e-mail it (in English or French please) to adrian.joyce@ace-cae.org Deadline for submissions is the first Friday of each month.

Acknowledgements

The editorial board wishes to acknowledge the sources of information for this issue of ACE Info which include the UIA, Jean-Marie Fauconnier, the European Services Forum, the ECIA, FIEC, the CEPMC, the Euractiv website (www.euractiv.com) and Bulletin Quotidien Europe.

adrian.joyce@ace-cae.org - Comments and contributions welcome

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