A source of inspiration for other countries, the architecture competition as carried out in Switzerland, is worldwide known for its outstanding approach to public procurement and for the resulting quality of the works. For over a century, this practice has been fundamental for the evolution of the reflections on the built environment, and consequently has a big influence on the quality of our cities and daily lives.

A fair competition puts different ideas against each other to tackle the same challenge, with the objective of finding the best project to be built. Source of innovation, this type of open and fair competition allows new talents to emerge. The anonymity principle ensures that the choice of the winning project is based on the quality of the work rather than on the fame of its author. 

During the 27th World Congress of Architects UIA2021RIO, an exhibition will highlight architecture competitions as a democratic tool. It is an initiative of the Association Le Concours Suisse, curated by Swiss-based Brazilian architect Olivia de Oliveira. 

On 21 July, Olivia de Oliveira, architect and curator of the exhibition; Nivaldo Andrade, lifelong advisor of the IAB and member of the scientific committee of the UIA2021RIO; Francesco Della Casa, architect of the state and canton of Geneva; Jodok Brunner, architect responsible for constructions abroad of the Federal Office of Construction and Logistics of the Swiss Confederation; Elisabeta França, architect and coordinator of the scientific committee of the UIA2021RIO will exchange on the importance of architecture competitions and how they are organized. The discussion will be moderated by Laís Petra, vice-president of the national directorship of the IAB Centro-Oeste Region. 

The event will be held in English and Portuguese with simultaneous translation between the two languages.