For ten years, Beta has been awarding quality architectural initiatives and projects in Romania, Hungary and Serbia. The international jury for each edition is made up of renowned architects, and the awards reflect our determination to promote authors and projects with a beneficial impact on the built environment.
For the first time in this competition, we have introduced the People's Award, through which we aim to improve the connection between architects and the general public, emphasizing the importance of architecture that directly addresses the values and needs of society.
We all live in and use the city and the spaces that architects design, so we want the Beta Awards to recognize the preferences of the general public. The Public Award is our way of bringing quality architecture closer to the general public and promoting those architectural projects that make us proud of the cities we live in. Each person can vote for one project in the categories of Built Space, Interior Space, Public Space, Graduate Projects and Research.
The public vote will be open together with the awards exhibition and will run until the end of the competition, when the project with the most votes will be awarded at the Beta 2024 Awards Gala.
The deans of the faculties proposed mentors from each institution, who then selected five students each, forming the project teams. This selection process created a diverse combination of visions and approaches, laying the foundation for the design and construction of the pavilions.
From the project's initiation to the design workshop, the mentor team met weekly online to establish conceptual and strategic directions aligned with the festival’s mission. Sustainability and inclusion are the core values pursued by the FAST pavilions, from design to execution.
The final collective included:
Tutors: Giurea Diana, Micșa Ovidiu, Bănescu Oana, Mândrescu Cristina, Panait Andra, Călin Alex, Olaru Vlad, Mihăilă Bogdan, Fleșeriu Alexandru, Boca Ștefania, Tudora Gabriel, Tudora Cristina, Pantilimonescu Florina, Medeșan Silviu, Hagiu Adi, Amalia Enache.
Students: Petrovai Raluca, Chiorean Andrei, Brinzan Andrei, Ursa Paul, Barbu Teodora, Halmaghi Ioana, Pop Cristina, Frincu Iulia, Fogaraș Ruben, Blaga Naomi Oana, Judea Iulia, Platon Emanuel, Vasilache Elena, Argatu Gavril, Creangă Maria, Grigoraș Ana-Maria, Pelin Tudor, Toader Andreea, Ștefan Andreea, Mocuța Dara, Dumitran Radu, Dulfu Alexandru, Gyorgy Szabolcs, Bolbotina Iulia, Comis Vlad, Cerantola Alessio, Belea Iulia, Stoica Serban, Flutur Mihail.
Project description in English
FAST Festival for Architecture Schools of Tomorrow is the first initiative bringing together the five architecture schools in Romania: Bucharest, Cluj, Oradea, Iași, and Timișoara. The festival was developed by the Romanian Order of Architects, with support from the Architecture Stamp, and is hosted and co-financed in 2023 by the UPT Creative Campus project, initiated by the Politehnica University of Timișoara and Liga AC. Part of the National Cultural Program "Timișoara – European Capital of Culture 2023," the festival is funded through Grow Timișoara 2023, managed by the Timișoara Project Center, with state budget funds from the Ministry of Culture.
The FAST Pavilion represents the outcome of collaborative workshops between professors and students from the five architecture schools. These workshops, held in Timișoara, aimed to co-design and co-create the pavilion, inspired by the theme of the UIA 2023 Congress in Copenhagen and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This initiative, launched by the five schools and the National Order of Architects of Romania, is part of the first edition of FAST, which brings together architectural education and professional practice.
The FAST Pavilion is an experimental case study, distinct from traditional academic courses. Its goal is to analyze how different stakeholders, such as tutors, students, and the community, interact in the design process while respecting sustainability objectives, aesthetic considerations, and principles of inclusion. The modules, each with specific themes, contribute to creating a "living project" that explores new methodologies in design and construction.
The pavilions address the following themes:
Meditation: Explores collaborative ideas around materiality and verticality.
Climate: Aligns with UIA's "Design for Climate Adaptation" theme, integrating sustainability principles.
Social: Addresses the challenge of creating sustainable and accessible architecture.
Sensorial: Provides a sensory experience through the interplay of light and shadow, highlighting tactile and visual contrasts.
Techne: Combines functionality, technique, and art, in line with the UN's sustainable vision.