The Romanian Order of Architects has announced a major contest offering a ‘rare opportunity’ to rethink the courtyard and garden of Bucharest’s historic University House.

Key aims include delivering a ‘coherent, quality intervention’ which reactivates the dysfunctional site as an integrated cultural, social and educational amenity for the city.

The overall winner of the single-stage contest, which is backed by the University of Bucharest, will receive an estimated €516,031 design contract. Submissions are due by 17 July.

Another civic opportunity has opened with the launch of a single-stage contest to create a new Culture and Conference Centre in Selva di Val Gardena ahead of the 2031 Alpine Ski World Championships.

The estimated €34 million project will upgrade the existing Oswald von Wolkenstein cultural centre located in the centre of the Italian settlement which serves the Dolomite ski area. The deadline for applications is 1 July.

Architects with expertise in large-scale urban regeneration may be interested in a contest being held to masterplan the Kløverparken & Quintus area of Copenhagen's East Harbour.

Submissions to the contest – which seeks to transform a 62ha swathe of docklands into a ‘dense, varied and sustainable’ mix of housing, commercial, and leisure uses – are due by 1 June.

The City of Brno in Czechia has meanwhile announced a smaller-scale contest for 55 new homes on Křídlovická Street. Planned to complete in 2030, the project will replace existing 1920s housing blocks that are no longer fit for purpose. Applications are open until 31 July.

Across the pond, the Chicago Architectural Club is holding an ideas contest to reimagine State Street as a place where ‘Chicago’s civic, cultural, and everyday life intersect’.

Open to architects, designers, artists, and interdisciplinary teams, the 2026 Burnham Prize contest features a $5,000 award fund. Applications are due by 15 July.

Merlin.fulcher@emap.com