Franck Riester, Minister of Culture, will launch the 4e edition of the National Days of Architecture on Friday, October 18 at the Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine.

For three days - 18, 19 and 20 October - the National Days of Architecture highlight the richness and diversity of recent architecture throughout the country. They offer everyone the opportunity to discover or rediscover the architecture that makes up our daily environment; whether it is housing, transport, museums, stadiums, infrastructure or public squares, architecture is everywhere.

This year’s National Architectural Days focus on architectural projects that link contemporary creation with built heritage, enhance existing assets and create a dialogue between successive generations' contributions.

To underline this plurality, the posters of the National Days of Architecture are available in eighteen versions; one per region and territorial authority overseas.

National Architecture Days bring to light all facets of architecture through the involvement of communities, associations, public institutions and all professional networks that, throughout the year, work for the dissemination of the quality of architecture and living environment », Franck Riester, Minister of Culture.

Look up, look up!

Initiated on the occasion of the previous European Heritage Days last September by the Minister of Culture and the Minister of National Education and Youth in order to promote access to quality arts and cultural education, the "Look up!" is renewed as part of the National Architecture Days.

A day outside the walls, on Friday, October 18, where students accompanied by their teachers go to discover their environment to learn to read architecture, to decipher the landscape, to decipher the city and the countryside.

Architects mobilized

For this 4e the National Council of the Order of Architects renews its partnership with the National Days of Architecture. Architects will go everywhere in France to meet the public and awaken the curiosity of everyone for architectural practice.

Another partner, and for the first time this year: the editions À Vivre.

On the occasion of the Days of Architecture À Vivre, architects and builders open, for the second time in the year on Saturday, October 19, the doors of the apartments or houses they imagined together.

Programme of the Minister of Culture

The launch of the National Architecture Days will take place at the Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine on Friday, October 18.

Franck Riester and Martin Robain, President of the Academy of Architecture, will present the Book of Architecture prize, created in 1994, and, for the first time this year, the Book of Youth prize, awarded by the Academy of Architecture.

The Minister of Culture will then present in his speech the new orientations of his policy in favour of architecture.

He will also visit the Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine’s casting gallery to meet with school students and their teachers as part of the “Raise your eyes!”

The Minister will then travel to Hauts-de-France on October 18 and 19.

He will notably visit:

  • La Halle aux sucres in Dunkerque, building renovated by Pierre-Louis Faloci, 2018 National Grand Prix of Architecture.
  • Le Fond régional d'art contemporain, Grand Large - Hauts-de-France à Dunkerque, directed by architects Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal, Grands prix nationaux de l'architecture in 2008

The National Days of Architecture, organized by the Ministry of Culture, benefit from the support of national and territorial cultural actors: the City of Architecture and Heritage, the National Council of the Order of Architects, the Regional Councils of the Order of Architects, the National Graduate Schools of Architecture, the National Federation of Councils of Architecture, Town Planning and Environment, the Houses of Architecture, the Cities and Countries of Art and History.

They are also supported by France Télévisions, France Inter, 20 minutes, Phenix Stories, Maison à Part, Téma.archi, Á Vivre, the Mutuelle des architectes français and the Caisse des Dépôts.

Hundreds of events throughout France: the entire national programme is available online on the website www.journeesarchitecture.fr