What is Beta?

Beta 2022 (Timișoara Architecture Biennial) is a cultural project of the Romanian Order of Architects – Timiș Territorial Branch, organized by a dedicated team. Beta 2022 is currently on its 4th edition, following the 2018 and 2016 editions, respectively the 9 annual events that occurred before them. Since 2019, Beta is OAR’s priority project and the main architecture event in western Romania, with an euroregional influence, being in collaboration with some neighboring countries – Serbia and Hungary.

What do we do?

Beta reflects our determination, as a team and as a professional organization, to change, in a positive sense, the way people understand and appreciate the built environment.

In general terms, Beta consists of two structuring levels: an identity level – linked with the general theme of each edition of the biennial, and a second one – in relation with the biennial main objectives, grouped by the categories Education, Profession, City.

We want Beta to become one of the platforms that articulates the position of architecture and architects toward the fundamental problems and challenges of contemporary society.

Between September 23th and October 23th 2022, Beta will gather more than 40 events, in different formats: conferences, exhibitions, workshops, debates, film screenings, installations, and guided tours.

What we aspire to, is an architecture of action, defined by the desire to be proactive, to collaborate, to communicate and to connect. And eventually, to understand the complete and extensive map of the built environment. We want to promote the interaction among different entities, before discussing definite interventions. We suggest a dialogue instead of declarations, collaboration instead of isolation, processes instead of punctual events.

How do we finance ourselves?

For each edition of the biennial, Beta team applies for funding in the cultural field (locally, nationally and internationally) and relies on strengthening existing partnerships and creating new ones. The budget for Beta 2022 is covered in approximate percentages by: the Romanian Order of Architects, through the Architecture Stamp – 60%, The City Hall of the Municipality of Timișoara, through the Culture House of the Municipality of Timișoara – 31%, AFCN – 6%, sponsors – 3%.