Europan - In a collaboration of, on average, twenty European countries, Europan organises a competition once every two years in the field of architecture and urban design. Landscape aspects also play an increasing role in the assignments submitted. Europan invites young architects to come up with solutions for real sites, made available by clients and municipalities. The competition is organised according to the same rules in all countries and with the overall theme "European Urbanity" and in each country a national jury adjudicates the entries for the sites in the country in question.
In this way Europan aims at giving form to a Europe in which young and highly-promising architects can contribute to innovations in the field of spatial design.
The salient feature of Europan is that the organisation not only restricts itself to a competition of ideas, but that the prize-winners receive a brief in a second phase, either in the form of the realisation of their winning Europan design, or in the form of an alternative brief. In this way Europan supports the prize-winning architects in securing their (frequently first) design assignment. Also, in later phases of the realisation process, Europan remains in contact with its winners in order to offer them advice or support where necessary.
The competition is open to architects under the age of forty from all over (geographic) Europe.

Dutch secretary of state Medy van der Laan and winners Europan 7
Photo: Theo Bos

Europese Organisation - Since 1988 the Netherlands has participated in the "Europan Association", the all-embracing organisation in which the participating countries are associated. PAN stands for "Programme d'Architecture Nouvelle" that was established in the seventies to promote the development and innovation of architecture in France by holding competitions for young architects. In the late eighties PAN took the initiative of extending its formula to other European countries. Each participating country has a national committee and a secretariat as an executive body. The international coordination is carried out by the European secretariat, established in Paris. The European character of the competition is guaranteed by opening the competition to all European architects under the age of forty and by organising the activities on a European scale, including exhibitions, symposia and the issue of publications.
> Diagram of the international organisation as PDF-file

National Organisation - Stichting Europan Nederland is financed by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment within the framework of the culture policy document, and by the participating municipalities and the clients.
The Dutch organisation comprises a Board and a national secretariat.

Board

• Hilde Blank, director BVR, urban designer, Rotterdam
• Herman Meijer, among others Groen Link politician, Rotterdam - Chairman
• Rob Hagens, Woondrechtconsult, Rotterdam - Treasurer
• Madeleine Maaskant, architect Maaskant & Van Velzen, Amsterdam
• Maarten Kloos, director ARCAM, Amsterdam
• Wimjoost Licht, town clerk, Hengelo
• Edwin Oostmeijer, Edwin Oostmeijer Projectontwikkeling BV, Utrecht
• Emile Spek, director Ymere Ontwikkeling, Amsterdam

National Secretariat

• Emmie Vos, Director
• Sandra Mellaart, staff member
• Ineke Hagemeijer, secretary

European Urbanity - Up to the seventh edition of Europan a new and topical theme was fixed for each new round of the competition. As of Europan 8 one umbrella theme has been applied when searching for sites for the competition. This theme is "European Urbanity". Although the typology of the towns and cities that participate in Europan differ markedly, the previous rounds have demonstrated that European towns and cities face similar problems. Put succinctly it relates to "urbanity", the urban context of towns and cities.
In each round the problems of the participating sites are analysed, connections sought and sub-themes identified.

The Board visits the project by S333 in Groningen

Time Schedule - Because the competition is organised once every two years, the time schedule for the coming years is already fixed.

• Even years (spring to winter): preparation of competition (collecting sites. etc.)
• Uneven years (spring): start of competition and national information market
• Uneven years (autumn): submission of plans
• Uneven years (winter): adjudication
• Even years (spring): announcement of winners, award ceremony, exhibition; national and international completion of current competition round.

Realisation of Ideas - Some seventy European sites are put forward every two years, five of which on average are in the Netherlands. The municipalities and clients that make a site available endorse the objectives of Europan by signing a letter of intent, such as giving an assignment to the winner.
Thanks to progressive clients and the support of municipalities, a large number of architectural firms has been established by young architects as a result of the Europan competition. In the meantime projects have been completed in Arnhem, Amsterdam-Noord, Zaanstad Zaanwerf and Zaaneiland, Nijmegen, Den Bosch, Amsterdam Osdorp, Groningen and Haarlem as the result of one of the Europan competitions.