From ideas to process-projects

From the competition to implementation, the rewarded ideas from the Europan competition follow a step-by-step process that transforms a vision into a concrete project.

It all begins after the competition with enhanced dialogue between the city, the public authorities, the client and the selected rewarded team(s), in order to clarify the goals, regulatory constraints and their potential evolution, intended uses and timeframes. This first implementation phase translates the rewarded idea(s) into an operational strategy, often through an urban study or preliminary design brief entrusted to the team(s).

Next comes the establishment of partnerships: defining the project ownership structure (public, private or mixed), selecting land-use instruments, and exploring legal and financial arrangements (project management support or contract, concession, urban developer, private operator) — always depending on the context. Phased scenarios are developed to reconcile the long-term nature of urban regeneration with the short-term timeframe of the initial interventions.

Technical implementation is carried out through multi-criteria feasibility studies: soil, mobility, ecology, project economics, and uses reversibility. Europan’s principles —simplicity, circularity, re-use, intensity of use— become sets of objectives and performance indicators. In some cases, prototypes, small-scale developments and temporary uses can test hypotheses directly onsite, fostering a sense of ownership and reducing risks before significant investment is made.

The transition to the project phase is formalised through a design brief: the rewarded team either is appointed to act as project manager (or urban designer), or receives a strategic project management advisory role to ensure the continuity of the concept. Low-carbon approaches, hybrid business models and open governance are incorporated from the preliminary design stage onwards.

Finally, implementation proceeds in stages: partial deliveries, user evaluations and adjustments. This iterative process preserves the essence of the rewarded idea whilst adapting it to the local context.

Europan therefore acts as a catalyst: the competition generates not only forms and spaces, but also transformation processes that are capable of moving from the drawn plan to the building site, and then to the lived city.

THE AUTHORS
The following individuals contributed to this research:

Carlos Arroyo (ES) – Ph.D in architecture, urban planner, Carlos Arroyo Arquitectos, professor
Julio de la Fuente (ES) – architect, urban planner, Gutiérrez-delaFuente Arquitectos
Miriam García (ES) – Ph.D in architecture, landscape architect, LANDLAB, professor
Annelies de Nijs (BE) – architect-engineer and urban designer, Atelier Horizon, teacher
Didier Rebois (FR) – architect, General Secretary of Europan and coordinator of the Scientific and Technical Committees
Nicolás Rueda (ES) – architect, DOCEXDOCE Architecture Competition founder
Bernd Valy (AT) – architect, StudioVlayStreeruwitz, teacher
Chris Younès (FR) – anthro-philosopher, professor, founder and member of the Gerphau research laboratory