Charleroi’s Palais des Expositions wins top European architecture competition

The Palais des Expositions in Charleroi (CHAPEX) has won the final of a European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture - Mies van der Rohe Awards 2026.

It is the first time this prestigious award has been presented to a Belgian project. Organised every two years, the results of the competition were announced in Oulu, Finland, the 2026 European Capital of Culture.

The EUmies Awards 2026 – Architecture and Emerging rewards projects illustrating ethical design, sustainability and long-term social impact.

Its jury initially selected 40 architectural projects from across Europe. Three Belgian nominations: Usquare in Ixelles, Abby Kortrijk and Palais des Expositions in Charleroi were all in the running for the competition. 

The Charleroi nomination was the only one to make it to the finals; the 1950s historic landmark building  honoured for its extensive architectural renovation and transformation. 

It was also a win for the collaboration by the master-architect of the city of Charleroi, the Flemish architecture firm AJDVIV (Jan De Vylder, Inge Vinck) and Brussels architecture firm AgwA.

Their project transformed the previous convention centre in Charleroi into an exhibition hall that could stage congresses and concerts. 

Its renovation involved stripping back the central hall and creating covered urban terraces. The demineralisation of the formerly black site allowed for a continuous green park.

“The initial request was to demolish the entire central section and create a large new hall in contemporary architecture,” explained architect Harold Fallon of AgwA. 

“The idea is that the use of the past should have the same use as today, but on a scale adapted to the needs of our time,” added architect Jan De Vylder of AJDVIV. 

But instead of pulling down the building, the architects involved opted to maintain the existing features of the original building and adapt it to an open and exterior space with a lower budget.

“The project literally invites public space, parking, and landscape to invade the building, while reconnecting the city centre with its surroundings,” according to a press release by the Flanders Architecture Institute (VAi).

Photos: CHAPEX ©Flanders Architecture Institute (VAi)/Filip Dujardin