The projects lay out a broad panorama of the major challenges of the Parisian metropolis, including climate, housing, solidarity, micro-plots, the place of children in the city, reuse, new materials, energy, healthcare and diversity. In today’s moment of crisis, this strong enthusiasm for project-based urban and architectural research is particularly stimulating and testifies to the willingness of the participants to experiment with other ways of thinking or building the city as well as the desire for participatory models and shared approaches.

FAIRE is the very first accelerator of innovative urban projects targeting architects, urban planners, landscape designers, engineers, and designers, both established and emerging, but also students from schools in these disciplines. It now confirms its position as the reference platform for project-based research and urban experimentation in metropolitan areas.

Verbatims - Members of the Jury

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« I am delighted that the 4th edition of the FAIRE competition has achieved such a large success, attracting no less than 354 proposals. I also wish to thank all the partners of the project — Pavillon de l’Arsenal, Caisse des Dépôts, MINI and EDF. They are enabling cross-disciplinary teams to conduct innovative research and experiments in order to address today’s major urban challenges. » — Emmanuel Grégoire, First Deputy Mayor of the City of Paris, in charge of Urban Planning, Architecture, the Greater Paris, the Relations with the Arrondissements, and the Reshaping of Public Policy

« Each edition of FAIRE is a source of inspiration with its creative, innovative, socially-responsible and committed projects. Caisse des Dépôts and the Île-de-France regional office of its Banque des Territoires are supporting this initiative of the Pavillon de l'Arsenal with conviction and enthusiasm. FAIRE helps foster innovation through calls for projects with mixed teams of researchers, designers, architects and engineers. Congratulations to the FAIRE 2020 winners for their highly creative projects aiming to make cities more sustainable, more frugal, more inclusive and more resilient! » — Marianne Louradour, Regional director for Île-de-France, Banque des Territoires; Sylvie Roger, Director of corporate philanthropy and partnerships, Caisse des Dépôts

« We have been impressed by the very high standard on display in the projects and presentations. We are eager to see the the sixteen winning projects come to fruition as each of them carry important responses to the challenges of the city of today and offer a creative use of urban space, two topics that have been dear to MINI for for more than sixty years now.» — Guillaume de Sazilly, Head of MINI France

« EDF is proud to have supported and participated in this edition of FAIRE. The diversity and quality of the projects that were presented attests to the dynamic and commitment of the experts selected to address the Greater Paris’ challenges of solidarity, climate, the circular economy, soft mobility and urban facilities. Well done to the winners and thank you to all the participants for the quality of their presentations! » — Hélène Milot, Regional director for Île-de-France, and Gaëlle Salaün, Regional commercial director for Île-de-France, EDF

« The health and climate crisis reveals previously existing urban issues as well as new questions that must be addressed by city stakeholders. The FAIRE accelerator aims to support the movers and doers involved in the transformation of cities. » —  Alexandre Labasse, Director of Pavillon de l’Arsenal

« FAIRE has become an unmissable event for architects and designers of the twenty-first century. Unbiased and focused on broadening the scope of innovation, it reveals how committed the young generations are to anchoring their practices in the challenges of our time: limiting material waste, repairing existing structures, tackling global warming, achieving social fairness, providing decent housing for all and so on. The competition also reveals issues that we all need to work on to prepare for the future. We must support them. Kudos to them for questioning and decompartmentalizing our practices and for introducing more cross-disciplinarity.» — Christine Leconte, President of the Regional Council of the Order of Architects of Île-de-France

«The quality and professionalism of the proposals testify to the fact that, in just a few years, FAIRE has become a key player in urban transformation. Moreover, they demonstrate the deep commitment of architects, designers, landscapers and other shapers of cities to the transformation of our territory through concrete and pragmatic action on issues that concern us all as citizens. All the proposals can thus be viewed as an alternative roadmap that can be used by city stakeholders.» — Susanne Eliasson, urban architect, founder of the creative studio GRAU

«The FAIRE accelerator is the only place where it is possible to propose projects resulting from singular and personal research in order to consider the city from new horizons. It is a relevant way of responding to urban challenges by getting involved through action projects. It is also the place to consider the collective and the collaborative.»— matali crasset, Designer

«FAIRE shines and draws interest from both young and experienced professionals well beyond the questions of how to address the currents situations in terms of the climate, the health crisis and the way society is organized. What I have seen being upheld here is an interest for the collective, for benevolence towards the highly underprivileged or the young, but also simply offering an atlas of resources that can be shared with all citizens from the countryside and the cities. These winners are there to act as SOCIETY builders. The poetry conveyed by certain responses can only confirm how sound this call for projects is. I hope this event will continue being held for many years! » — Vincent Parreira, Architect, founder of the architecture practice AAVP

"What an incredible sense of emulation! Rarely have I attended such a stimulating jury panel! I was flabbergasted by the quality of the projects, their finesse, and their relevance, and how they often fill the gaps in mainstream innovation. The FAIRE accelerator is now firmly established in the landscape of concrete research and inventiveness. In a context of an accumulation of crises and uncertainty about the future, FAIRE is a 'door opener' to potential futures and an accelerator of optimism. Kudos!" —  Architect, engineer, President of AREP

Technical Commission

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Jury Panel

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