Rachida Dati announces an ambitious new National Strategy for architecture with 30 concrete measures

The new national strategy aims to address environmental and societal challenges by mobilizing all the talents and professions in the world of architecture. With this in mind, a consultation launched in May 2024 brought together several dozen organizations, associations and collectives, whose numerous contributions have enriched the major multi-year guidelines.

The strategy includes 6 strategic axes to drive the necessary changes:

• Axis No. 1: Bringing architecture policy closer to local realities;
• Axis No. 2: Transmit a new culture of architecture;
• Axis No. 3: Supporting architecture professionals;
• Axis No. 4: Encourage talent and diversity of career paths;
• Axis No. 5: Renew teaching and research;
• Axis No. 6: Promote innovation and experimentation.

The Minister detailed a number of measures included in this new national strategy:

• The creation, from March 1, 2025, of a new national higher school of architecture on the island of Réunion, in order to better cover the architectural needs of overseas territories, and which will in particular be able to act as closely as possible to the reconstruction needs in Mayotte;
• The launch of a post-master's course supported by the scientific and educational network "Perspectives rurales", via the National School of Architecture of Clermont-Ferrand, which will help combat architectural deserts by encouraging and preparing young architects to settle in rural areas;
• A target of increasing the number of students by 20% over ten years in national higher schools of architecture;
• The generalization within two years and in all schools of architecture of a work-study training. Within 5 years, all schools will welcome 20% of students from professional or technological courses;
• The revision of the ENSA regulatory texts in order to ease the pace of studies and strengthen the professional experiences of students during their studies;
• The launch of a new edition of Archi-Folies to allow students, schools and teachers to design 21 demonstrator apartments, to think about the housing of tomorrow.
• A reform of the interministerial mission for the quality of public construction will be undertaken from 2025 to strengthen the support and assistance of the State in terms of training, engineering and technical support for local elected officials and associations who need advice in their project management;
• Strengthening educational content related to architecture within the Culture Pass offering and the development of digital resources in this area;
• Funding by the Ministry of Culture and over a 5-year horizon of 100 additional doctoral contracts relating to the transformation of existing buildings and territories to meet the challenge of ecological transition;
• The creation of an interministerial committee for architecture from 2025.

These broad guidelines will make it possible to implement concrete measures to benefit all stakeholders in architecture in France: professionals, teachers, researchers, students, associations, government departments and local authorities.

For Rachida Dati, Minister of Culture: "Renovating existing buildings, imagining new ways of living and dwelling, adapting to ecological and digital transitions, these are all challenges that require the commitment of all those who make architecture today. Since the beginning of 2024, we have been working on a consultation with the entire architecture ecosystem in order to arrive at a new national strategy for architecture capable of supporting all French players in architecture, in all territories and at all times in their careers. To carry it out, I will need each and every one of you: architects, teachers, students, associations, elected officials, government services."

The National Council of the Order of Architects (CNOA) is delighted to see an ambitious National Strategy for Architecture anchored in the regions

The 30 measures detailed in this new strategy are concrete and position architecture as a provider of solutions, as an echo of the actions of the Order of Architects around the theme: "Architecture as a solution".

Among the measures of this strategy, the National Council finds a certain number of the measures that it supports, such as Strengthening engineering support for local stakeholders.

The "1 mayor, 1 architect" system that the Order makes available to local elected officials, the aim of which is to offer them advice and engineering, has thus found a positive response.

Another measure of this strategy: Territorialize the SNA and adapt it to regional contexts.

The Order, with its 17 regional councils, represents the 30.000 registered architects, guarantors of the general interest and is committed to fighting against the architectural deserts that the CNOA observatory, Archigraphie, already highlighted in its 2022 edition.

The Minister also recalled the importance of training architects who will make the city of tomorrow. She announced the creation of a new national higher school of architecture on the island of Réunion, in order to better cover the architectural needs of the overseas territories. The CNOA has been calling for this for several years and is delighted that it is finally seeing the light of day. The development of higher education and research through a renewed training framework is going in the right direction.

Finally, the minister highlights the need to protect territories by specifying that rehabilitation projects, whatever they may be, should be the subject of architectural projects designed by architects.

The CNOA is ready to support the deployment of this strategy alongside the services of the Ministry of Culture and the Minister.

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.