On April 17-18, Tallinn will host the main assembly of the Architects’ Council of Europe that is also celebrating its 25th anniversary.
The jubilee will be attended by Europe’s best architects as well as the presidents of architects’ federations from US, UK and UIA. A festive gala ACE-25 will be held in Tallinn Seaplane Harbour on Friday evening.
„This is undoubtedly a highlight in the Estonian architectural landscape since never before we have hosted so many prominent architects at one time,” said Indrek Näkk, Estonian organizer of the event who was also board member of ACE in 2013-2014. “Estonian Association of Architects joined ACE in 2004. Membership in the European umbrella organization is important for us especially because EU Directives that regulate architectural issues are made in Brussels and ACE is constantly influencing this process with its competence. It is essentially the only possibility for Estonian architects to influence matters that concern their profession on the EU level.”
“Hosting of the main assembly of ACE in Tallinn will be a unique opportunity to present Estonia and local architecture for the whole world over two days and to talk about our views on creating and preserving good architecture,” said Indrek Näkk.
According to Luciano Lazzari, President of the European Council of Architects, Estonians have been extremely careful in the handling of their architectural heritage. “The Estonian invitation to host the ACE General Assembly in Tallinn is a clear and much appreciated sign that Estonians take their architecture seriously and want to be firmly connected to the European network and its professional mission,” said Mr. Lazzari.
“One of the main messages of the main assembly of ACE will be the crucial role of architects in reducing climate changes, as expressed in European Commission objectives for designing energy-efficient buildings, and the need to cooperate with other professions and organisations in solving global problems,” explained Luciano Lazzari. „One topic that will surely be interesting for Estonia is how to showcase local architectural heritage and uniqueness in the European cultural context.“
The main assembly that will be held in Tallinn will be attended by an ACE delegation with about 100 members, most of whom are board members of architects’ federations of various European countries. Also prominent guests from outside Europe will be attending.
The participants will gather at the Estonian Museum of Architecture (http://www.arhitektuurimuuseum.ee/en/ ) on Friday 17 April at 9.30 am. The day’s most important part is the so-called Special Session that will take place between 14.30 and 18.00 and will discuss the main challenges facing ACE in the nearest future.
A festive reception will be held in the Estonian Seaplane Harbour, an unique architectural masterpiece, http://www.lennusadam.eu/en/
On Saturday, guided tours will be held for the delegates and guests to present the best achievements of Estonian architecture.
The Architects’ Council of Europe (ACE) was founded in Italy in 1990. The objectives of the organisation are to promote architecture in Europe, to advance architectural quality in built environment, to ensure high standards of qualification for architects, to foster cross-border cooperation among Europe’s architects, to globally act as a single voice for architects in Europe, etc. ACE has 47 member organisations from 33 countries and it represents about 550,000 architects all over Europe.
