This exhibition aims to highlight the outstanding democratic tool that we have at our disposal and which is still little known outside professional circles: architectural competitions. Architectural competitions, as practiced in Switzerland, are a source of inspiration for other countries. They are internationally recognized not only for their exemplary way of awarding public contracts, but also for the high quality of the work.

This practice, more than a century old, is fundamental to the evolution of perceiving the built environment and consequently has a tremendous influence on the quality of our cities and our daily lives. A fair competition procedure confronts various ideas to solve the same challenge, with the objective of identifying the best project. This form of open and fair competition is a source of innovation and allows new talent to emerge among the younger generation. The principle of anonymity of the competitors guarantees a choice based on the quality of the project rather than on the supposed notoriety of its author.

The different thematic sections of the exhibition underline the evolution of this widespread practice and its determining role in the quality of Swiss buildings. Far from presenting only beautiful realizations, the exhibition also shows the different stages and the actual process of a competition, the various types and specificities, as well as the main actors and participants. More than 50 examples of architectural, urban planning and engineering competitions, mostly public and anonymous, are presented here. They were selected from more than a hundred competitions and study mandates launched by public and private clients each year in Switzerland, of which approximately one third are open competitions.