The Festival des Architectures Vives (FAV) is launching the open call for its 21st edition, taking place in Montpellier from 15 to 20 June 2027. Under the theme Shared Happiness, the festival invites young professionals in architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning and related disciplines to design temporary installations within the historic courtyards of Montpellier’s private mansions. Usually private and inaccessible to the public, these courtyards open their doors during the festival, creating a unique architectural journey through Montpellier’s historic Écusson district. Each selected team is invited to design an installation specifically for a heritage site, establishing a dialogue between place, work and public. The FAV offers young professionals an opportunity to experiment with architectural ideas in an exceptional heritage context while bringing contemporary creation into direct contact with a broad, diverse audience.

For its 21st edition, the FAV invites participating teams to explore how architecture can create the conditions for encounter, curiosity, wonder and sharing. The aim is not to represent or illustrate happiness, but to imagine situations capable of making it tangible — through a gesture, a material, light, movement, use or interaction. Projects may be generous, playful, contemplative, surprising or participatory, while developing a distinctive relationship with the site that hosts them, its history and its uses. The theme takes on particular significance in 2027, which marks the 50th anniversary of France’s 1977 Architecture Act. The law established that “architecture is an expression of culture” and recognized the quality of the built environment as a matter of public interest.

Eligibility

• The open call is aimed at young professionals in architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning and related disciplines.
• Teams may be multidisciplinary, but must include at least one qualified architect.
• Applicants must hold a Master’s-level degree or equivalent qualification.

Submission Requirements

• Projects are selected independently of a specific courtyard. Applicants must therefore develop proposals capable of adapting to different types of sites.
• Following the selection process, each team will be assigned the courtyard best suited to its project. Technical information relating to the selected sites — including plans, surveys and site-specific constraints — will then be provided to the winning teams.
• Each selected team will receive a €1,500 grant, including VAT, towards the production of its installation.

Applications must be submitted as a single PDF file, no larger than 10 MB, containing:

• Application form, downloaded from the FAV website, completed and signed;
• CVs of all team members;
• An illustrated portfolio highlighting previous projects, competitions and installations;
• A statement of intent responding to the 2027 theme, “Shared Happiness”, outlining the main ideas behind the proposed project;
• A 3D visualization illustrating the proposal.