Just a few weeks away for the BAQ2016

The Pan-American Architecture Biennial is one of the most important architectural events in the American continent. As a commemorative motif for the Biennials´ 40 year trajectory the academic commission for the BAQ2016 decided to launch the Biennial with the following theme, 'The Useful Classroom'. Good practice in the academy. The desire is to summon the global academy to discuss their relationship with the community and its capacity to generate a tangible impact in its immediate context. Among the confirmed speakers to attend the Biennial are: Assemble (England), Usina (Brazil), La Hacería (Spain), Arte Corte (Cuba), Recetas Urbanas(Spain). And thefollowinguniversities: Escritorio de Integración – Pontificia Universidad Católica de Minas Gerais, Casa y Ciudad – Universidad Autónoma de México, Pei – Universidad Javeriana de Bogotá, Leonal Ramos – Universidad de Concepción, Proyecto Habitar – Universidad de Buenos Aires, Rural Studio – Auburn University, Taller 1:1 – Pontificia Universidad Bolivariana, Talca – Universidad de Talca – Carnegie MellonUniversity.

The agenda during the Biennial week also include a series of short presentations and visits to some of the cities examples of “good community practice” developed by communities and local institutions. These examples have improved life styles through community participation and they will have the chance to present their projects during the Biennial week.

Since 1978, Quito´s Pan-American Architecture Biennial has become a space of social encounter, and comparison for the projects that are presented in the competition. Projects built throughout the continent participate in six different categories. The Biennial has 40 international coordinators in charge of scouting and gathering these projects and sending them to Quito so they can later be a part of a public exhibition. 
The categories are:
 

It is important to mention that all projects submitted to the competition, under categories A, B, C and D will be presented in a public exhibition as a side event of HABITAT III, to be open to the public from the 17^th- 20^th of October 2016. After that, the official BAQ exhibition, including all categories will be open to the public from the 16^th – 19^th of November. In an effort to be more environmentally conscious, the BAQ Commission has decided to present it as a digital exhibition.

'ArquitecturaPanamericana' is another project managed by the BAQ Commission. 'ArquitecturaPanamericana' is a digital platform that will display all the projects that have participated in past contests. To this date, we have uploaded projects presented in the 2014 and 2012 contest.