The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation is one of the new members of the Future Architecture Platform, a European structure incorporating museums, festivals and producers that foster creativity in order to bring cities and their architecture closer to the public. This Platform takes place within the European Commission’s framework programme Creative Europe in an action aiming to promote mobility and visibility of artists and works, and the development of emerging talents. The announcement, which reflects the recognition of the relevance of the role played by the Gulbenkian Museum within the national and European exhibition panorama, took place during the platform meeting held in Lisbon, at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, which featured the presentation of the report on the first year of activities of this structure that was launched with an open call for an ideas program for 2017 (with applications open until 9 January), which involves conferences, exhibitions and workshops in the various member countries.

Coordinated by the Museum of Architecture and Design, in Ljubljana, Slovenia, the Future Architecture Platform counts on members such as the Oris House of Architecture, in Zagreb, Croatia, the Museum of Architecture in Wroclaw, Poland, the National Museum of XXI Century Arts, in Rome, Italy, and the Copenhagen Architecture Festival, in Denmark, among others in a total of 18 entities. The Gulbenkian Foundation is the second Portuguese member to join this pan-European platform following the Architecture Triennial of Lisbon, which joined in 2015 at the time of the structure’s launch.

In declarations to the Lusa news agency, the President of the Architecture Triennial of Lisbon, José Mateus, highlighted how “this initiative brings together partners to work closely on programming and attracting European Union funding for the area of culture and also shares the objective of supporting young talents emerging in the architectural world”.

In addition to the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, among the other new members joining the platform were One Architecture Week, of Plovdiv (Bulgaria), Bureau-n, of Berlin (Germany) and Forecast Platform, also of Berlin. With its entrance into the Future Architecture Platform, the Gulbenkian Foundation may now participate in the general configuration of the programming of all its partners and integrate its creative programmers into this project and thus gaining the scope to apply for European funding for projects in the cultural field.