View source for Big Architecture Festival

{{Article
| status       = NIFERTIK!
| maintainer   = Michael Jumic
}}

{{Infobox
| name               = Big Architecture Festival
| local name         = Big Arhitektura
| logo               = 
| street             = Dunajska cesta 123
| town               = SI-1000 Ljubljana
| website            = https://zavodbig.com/big-see-arhitektura-domov/
| email              = info@zavodbig.si
| telephone          = 386 (0) 1 431 2222
| fax                = 386 (0) 1 431 3174
| organised by       = Zavod Big
|
| frequency = biannual
| dates and duration = 
| festival dates     = 15.10.2020 - 16.10.2020, 7.4.2022 - 8.4.2022, 5.5.2022, 19.5.2023, 15.5.2024 - 16.5.2024
| contacts     = {{Contact
  | name        = Zmago Novak
  | role        = Managing Director
  | street      = 
  | town        = 
  | website     = 
  | email       = novak@zavodbig.si
  | telephone   = 386 (0) 41 669 119
  | fax         = 
  }}{{Contact
  | name        = Karin Lisjak
  | role        = Media Coordinator
  | street      = 
  | town        = 
  | website     = 
  | email       = karin@zavodbig.si
  | telephone   = 
  | fax         = 
  }}
| accounts = 
https://www.instagram.com/bigsee_wherelifeiscreativity/
https://www.facebook.com/zavodbig/
https://www.youtube.com/user/zavodbig1/videos
https://twitter.com/BigSEE13
}}



{{Teaser
|image=BLD01204 copy.jpg
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First held in [[Established::2008]], the [[Big Architecture Festival]] is an international architectural event managed by [[Zavod Big|Zavod Big – Center for Creative Economy of Southeast Europe]], originally known simply as Zavod Big, these days as BIG SEE. In 2018, with the ambitious transformation of the organizer into a creative hub serving the broader Southeast Europe (SEE) region, the festival took on a new role. It now takes place twice a year, in May and October. The May event highlights architecture's relationship not only to design but also to the economy and culture of the region and beyond; the October event happens during the [[Month of Design]] and is devoted to interiors. 

The festival now hosts a broad range of events - predominantly educational - aimed at promoting, researching, and evaluating architecture in the Southeast Europe region. Billed as something of a hybrid trade fair/festival, it also features activities and presentations that put architects and interior designers in direct contact with engineering companies, construction manufacturers, and other stakeholders from the private sector. Each event culminates in a ceremony announcing the [[BigSEE Awards]] for Architecture and Interior Design, respectively.
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==Programme==
 

In its current form, the [[Big Architecture Festival]] features a wide variety of activities aimed at establishing a multidisciplinary flow of best practices to architects and adjacent creators from throughout the region. The leading event of its kind in Southeast Europe, it gives forward-thinking architects, building professionals, and other decision-makers an opportunity to experience and learn about new materials, innovative technologies, and advanced techniques.

The festival also features a number of lectures and other educational events with a regional focus. For example, the 2019 edition of the festival hosted a lecture by Montenegrin curator Dijana Vučinić on the public/private divide in architecture with a focus on the specific historical situation surrounding tenders and competitions in Southeast Europe.

In the broader framework of the [[Month of Design]], attendees of the October event can also visit virtual pavilions representing each of the 19 countries of the region. The pavilions present a curated synthesis of creativity from each country that encompasses not only architecture and interior design but also visual design, product design, wood design, and tourist design.

==Awards==

Beginning in [[Established::2009]], the [[Big Architecture Festival]] culminated in the presentation of the [[Hiše Awards]] (''hiše'' means houses). Presented each year in conjunction with the award's namesake, [[Hiše Magazine|''Hiše'' magazine]], the award recognized several outstanding examples of home architecture from throughout the world. The winning works were given an exhibition at the festival and a dedicated issue of ''Hiše'' magazine.

With the overhaul that saw event organizer Zavod Big become BIG SEE and assume a leading role in the creative scene of the Southeast Europe region, the Hiše Awards were discontinued. In their place, the [[Big SEE Awards]], a range of awards presented to creators from the 19 countries of the Southeast Europe region for outstanding achievements in a number of architecture and design fields, were introduced. Since 2018, the BIG SEE Awards for Architecture and Interior Design have been presented in the framework of Big Architecture Festival.

In 2019, BIG SEE also introduced the BIG SEE Architectural Visionary Award, a lifetime achievement award presented to the most impactful architects and architectural thinkers in the region. Recipients to date include architect and deputy mayor of Ljubljana [[Janez Kozelj]], renowned Croatian architect and theorist [[Andrija Rusan]] and Montenegrin curator Dijana Vučinić.

{{Image|BLD01247 copy.jpg}}

{{Image|BIG Architecture-2024-INSTAGRAM.png}}

==Publication==
As a follow-up to each edition of the [[Big Architecture Festival]], the [[Month of Design]], and the [[BigSEE Awards]], BIG SEE publishes the BigSEE Report, a comprehensive atlas featuring the award-winning projects and interviews with their creators, as well as reports from the year's events. It's a “must-SEE” for anyone working in these industries and interested in what is happening at the cutting edge.

==See also==

* [[BigSEE Awards]]
* [[Month of Design]]
* [[Zavod Big]]

* [[Hiše Magazine]] 
* [[Hiše Awards]]


==External links==
* [https://zavodbig.com/big-see-arhitektura-domov/ Big Architecture Festival website] 
* [http://www.zavodbig.com/ BIG SEE Creative Industries website] 
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EicnjJjI68U Big Architecture Festival video lectures]

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[[Category:Festivals]]
[[Category:Festivals in May]]
[[Category:Festivals in October]]
[[Category:Architecture festivals]]
[[Category:Architecture]]
[[Category:Updated 2020]]
[[Category:Architecture & Design]]