The European Collective Housing Award opens the call for its second edition

>Initiated by the Basque Architecture Institute and arc en rêve (Bordeaux), the award will recognise housing developments in two categories: new construction and renovation

>The previous edition, which received more than 170 proposals from 19 European countries, awarded the conversion of a former wine warehouse in Basel into 64 apartments by Esch Sintzel Architekten; and La Borda, a timber building with 28 homes and a community-based model, by Lacol

>The application period will remain open until the 31th of march through the award’s website 

Collective housing is a hallmark of Europe, embodying a way of living that deserves to be recognised and valued. With the aim of acknowledging the excellence of all actors involved in its development, in 2024 the Basque Architecture Institute and arc en rêve (Bordeaux), with the support of the Basque Government’s Department of Housing and Urban Agenda, launched the first edition of the European Collective Housing Award. The award returns in 2026, once again celebrating outstanding examples.

The award aims to recognise collective housing projects that have a positive impact on communities and contribute to sustainable urban development, while promoting architectural quality. Emphasising housing as a fundamental human need and a social asset, the award encourages innovation, inclusion and environmental responsibility in the design of collective housing. To this end, the award for best collective housing project will be granted in two categories: new construction and renovation.

Who can apply:

• Eligible projects must have been completed between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2025 (both inclusive) and be located in one of the 46 member states of the Council of Europe.
•  Submissions may be made by a range of stakeholders: public administrations responsible for housing development, companies overseeing the projects, design teams, construction companies involved in the works, and residents. 

The full rules and conditions are available at www.europeancollectivehousingaward.eu

Recognising excellence in the everyday

Collective housing and the ways of living it fosters are symbols of shared life, social cohesion and urban identity across the European continent. The European Collective Housing Award seeks to recognise this impact and, in doing so, to reinforce the role that high-quality architecture plays in this mission.

There are housing developments whose architecture represents excellence while also creating spaces that enhance the quality of life of their inhabitants. The more than 170 submissions received from 19 European countries in the first edition of the award in 2024 are examples of this.

Two outstanding projects received the award. In the new construction category, the prize went to La Borda by Lacol: a timber building designed for communal living, comprising a cooperative of 28 homes and a community-based model with an integrated approach to sustainability, affordability and management. In the renovation category, the prize was given to Esch Sintzel Architekten for their transformation of a former wine warehouse in Basel into a building with 64 apartments, reactivating an underused structure while combining energy efficiency, architectural quality and a positive impact on the surrounding urban environment.

International prestigious jury

In this second edition, the selection of the two winning projects will be entrusted to a high-profile international jury. Serving as Chair of the Jury will be Catalan architect Carme Pinós, recipient of the National Architecture Award of Spain in 2021, who succeeds Anne Lacaton in the role. She will be joined by a distinguished panel comprising Jing Liu (USA), architect and SO-IL co-founder; Catherine Sabbah (France), Executive Director of IDHEAL and housing policy expert; David Madden (United Kingdom), urban sociologist and Director of the Cities Programme at the London School of Economics; and Lucia Tozzi (Italy), urban researcher and journalist. 

Advisory board formed by leading figures

In addition, the award is supported by an Advisory Council made up of leading figures who contribute a critical and diverse perspective on the housing challenge. Joining the Council for this second edition is Belgian architect and urban planner Kristiaan Borret, who served as Chief Architect of the Brussels-Capital Region (2015–2025) and served as juror in the first edition. He joins the Advisory Council that supported the previous edition, composed of Bernard Blanc (France), urban planner, politician and public administrator specialising in housing, member of Bordeaux City Council and creator of the “Bâtiment Frugal Bordelais” label; Aurora Fernández Per (Spain), architecture journalist and co-founder of a+t architecture publishers; Carmen Imbernón (Spain), architect and professor, Secretary General of EUROPAN Spain; and Vittorio Magnago Lampugnani (Italy), architect, Professor Emeritus at ETH Zurich, former editor of Domus magazine and director of the German Architecture Museum in Frankfurt.

With this second edition, the European Collective Housing Award seeks to highlight one of the continent’s greatest urban legacies: an essential tool for inclusive and sustainable cities, and one of the pillars of the European welfare state.

Applications may be submitted via the website of the award.