Democratic Architecture – Architectural Democracy 2026

Competition Brief

The Alliance for Architectural Modernity (Taiwan), commissioned by the National Taiwan Museum, is calling for international submissions for the exhibition “Democratic Architecture · Architectural Democracy” (民主建築 · 建築民主), which will inaugurate Taiwan’s first publicly funded centre for architecture in December 2026. The exhibition runs at the Railway Department Park of the National Taiwan Museum from December 2026 to October 2027, curated by Chun-Hsiung Wang, Fabrizio Gallanti, and Wenwen Cai.

The call is open internationally to architects, landscape architects, researchers, spatial practitioners, and collectives working at the intersection of architecture, democracy, and civic life. Five proposals will be selected by the jury for inclusion in the exhibition, each receiving a production budget and professional support from the National Taiwan Museum and the Alliance for Architectural Modernity.

Intent

The exhibition investigates how architecture has contributed, across different national and cultural contexts, to consolidating and supporting democracy by designing spaces appropriated and used by citizens. It is guided by three central questions: What are the spatial archetypes of democratic architecture? How does democracy reshape space to enable public deliberation? How can architecture advance democracy? The call for submissions addresses the third question through the theme “New Common”, which explores instances in which citizens have collaborated to control, manage, and benefit from resources they considered collective, with the design component playing a significant role.

Purpose

The five selected proposals will be developed into installations exhibited at the Railway Department Park in Taipei. The National Taiwan Museum and Alliance for Architectural Modernity will provide professional assistance and a production budget for each selected installation. The exhibition will be accompanied by publications and a programme of public events. The call reflects the alignment of the exhibition with Taiwan’s political and social trajectory since 1996, and the affirmation of democratic values underpinning the island’s contemporary identity. The exhibition will present a wide range of case studies from different countries through drawings, photographs, models, and videos.

Requirements

Submissions are accepted across three types. Type A covers realised projects: completed initiatives including buildings, public spaces, natural areas, or collective mobilisations with a relevant design component. Type B covers research: studies and documentation around the topic of the New Common, with attention to architecture, landscape architecture, urban politics, spatial practices, and communication methodologies. Type C covers projects: proposals for future actions and interventions, either already developed or to be implemented specifically for the exhibition.

Each submission must include three components: an abstract of maximum 1,500 words explaining the proposal, its context, how it responds to local conditions and needs, how the design process mobilises a community of citizens, and a broad indication of how it will be presented in the exhibition including formats, media, and dimensions; a mini-portfolio including the submitted proposal and a maximum of five reference projects or initiatives by the candidates; and a CV of maximum three pages. All documents must be submitted as PDF files under 10 MB each via SlideRoom at taiwandemocracy.slideroom.com.

Jury

1. Erwin Viray – Senior Advisor, Sustainability Office, Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), Singapore
2. James Taylor-Foster – Curator of Contemporary Architecture and Design, ArkDes (Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design), Stockholm
3. Rachaporn Choochuey – Architect and Founder, all(zone); Visiting Professor of Architectural Design, Bangkok
4. Triin Ojari – Consultant, Tallinn Urban Planning Department; Former Director, Estonian Museum of Architecture, Tallinn
5. Kumiko Ikada – Director, Gallery TOTO MA, Tokyo

Registration Fees

Submission is free of charge. A SlideRoom account (email and password) must be created before submitting materials. For technical issues, contact archidemocracytaiwan@gmail.com.

Prizes and Rewards

The exact production budget amount per selected installation has not been published. Five proposals will be selected in total. All selected teams receive institutional support for developing their exhibition presentation. The exhibition runs for approximately ten months, giving selected works extended international visibility.

Key Dates

✦ ArchUp Competition Review

This call is one of the more intellectually substantive open submissions currently active in the international architecture and spatial practice community. The institutional context is significant: the exhibition inaugurates Taiwan’s first publicly funded architecture centre and is hosted by the National Taiwan Museum at a heritage site in central Taipei, giving selected works a serious institutional platform and an extended ten-month exhibition period. The curatorial team’s credentials, Fabrizio Gallanti brings international curatorial experience from multiple architecture biennales and institutions, and the jury composition is genuinely international and critically engaged, drawing from ArkDes, TOTO Gallery MA, all(zone), SUTD, and the Estonian architecture community. The “New Common” theme is open enough to accommodate built work, research, and speculative proposals without enforcing a narrow formal or disciplinary approach, which is appropriate given the conceptual ambition. The submission requirements are demanding relative to most open calls: a 1,500-word abstract, a mini-portfolio, and a CV constitute a real intellectual investment, which acts as a natural filter for serious practitioners. The production budget per selected installation is not published, which is the primary transparency gap in the call. For practitioners working at the intersection of architecture, collective space, and civic engagement, this is a rare opportunity to participate in a nationally significant inaugural exhibition.

Final Thoughts

Democratic Architecture · Architectural Democracy is a free, institutionally rigorous call for five internationally selected installations at a nationally significant inaugural exhibition in Taipei, running for ten months from December 2026. Submissions close 3 May 2026 via SlideRoom at taiwandemocracy.slideroom.com. Contact archidemocracytaiwan@gmail.com for enquiries.

Registration Deadline

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