Le Chéile
– the Architectures of Belonging’
Architecture at the Edge (AATE) is a not-for-profit organisation based in the west of Ireland that explores architecture and design in our social, political and cultural contexts.
The topic of this year's Architecture at the Edge Festival is centred on democratic design, titled ‘ Le Chéile – the Architectures of Belonging’ the programme will run from ; 17 -27 September 2026 with a special event taking place in Denmark this October in collaboration with the Copenhagen Architecture Forum (CAFx), as part of the Culture Programme for Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2026.
As Ireland takes up its Presidency of the Council of the European Union, during the second half of 2026, simultaneously 'Assembly' – Ireland’s national pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025’, will be touring Ireland. The pavilion was inspired by the innovative political model of the Irish Citizens’ Assembly. AATE and CAFx wanted to borrow from that format of the Citizens Assembly to bring people together to question of how architecture can benefit from the concept and facilitate more open communication and engagement with the issues contingent with the ‘architectures of democracy’.
We encourage applicants to interpret the brief as openly as possible.
Selected submissions will be presented during the Architecture at the Edge Festival, 17 - 27 September 2026.
About the Open Call
📢 We are opening a call for projects to participate in the festival!
Together (Le Chéile) we will invite architects, designers and other creatives to develop and present speculative or research-based projects addressing democracy, spatial justice, and participation through film, exhibition, public workshops and/or lectures.
To suggest new ways of practicing democracy – and how the involvement of local communities in democratic processes of decision-making (through participatory processes) can contribute to further foster the sense of belonging to a democratic society, and further increase their participation in democratic life.
We encourage applicants to interpret the brief as openly as possible. We are seeking proposals which investigate the various facets of how to create inclusive spaces that encourage people to engage in dialogue and civic life and highlight the spaces of citizenship, belonging and Identity. We need to design for everyone, regardless of economic status, and provide tools and environments that enable citizens to shape their own communities.
The submission must include a project description of max. 2400 characters, a draft budget, and a portfolio/CV. The maximum allowance available of €2,500; includes the fee for your time, and production cost for events.
More information can be found in our open call document
🗓Deadline: Applications close on Wednesday 17 June 2026.
📍17 - 27 September | Galway, Ireland
We look forward to your application!