Jean-Pierre Sueur

Mayor of Orléans

In organizing this 2nd Orléans International Architectural Conference, the goal of ArchiLab 2000 is to carry on the work undertaken in 1999. For the first ArchiLab Conference, thirty extremely innovative architects from a dozen countries presented their projects in Orléans, where they also found a discussion forum and had an unprecedented chance to meet other architects and people, all focused on the challenges facing architecture today. The exhibition was visited by 14,000 people. Encouraged by this success, the City of Orléans has decided, at the dawn of this new millennium, to put ArchiLab symbolically under the sign of cities of the future. The first appointment, within the ArchiLab 2000 exhibition, is with the projects of thirty different architects from all over the world, who will be showing models and maquettes, and films and photos of their particularly innovative propositions and works. ArchiLab will also be a "platform for meetings" devoted to an analysis of urban phenomena on a worldwide scale, and answers likely to be provided by the architects. Under the general title of UrbaLab, the thirty ArchiLab 1999 teams will be invited by Frédéric Migayrou and Marie-Ange Brayer, co-organizers of the event, to dialogue over the four days of discussion with the thirty ArchiLab 2000 teams. For the city is changing. And at the beginning of the 21st century we must find a new kind of urbanness. Urbanness is a very beautiful word, because it refers both to constructed space and, if we imagine an extra 'e', the quality of relationships between human beings. I don't think that it is possible to separate these two types of considerations. Having great ambitions for our cities means undertaking research in the fields of architecture, city-planning and urban ecology, all three very closely interlinked. But over and above this, urban choices are also, and inseparably, social choices. This debate, which will help to bring proposals for the future of cities to the fore, concerns each and every one of us. This is why the UrbaLab round tables are open to a broad public, for the time is indeed ripe for the creation of contemporary projects which are both forward-looking and shared. ArchiLab also draws support from the existence of the Regional Contemporary Art Collection [FRAC] of the Centre Region, which has decided to focus its activities on the field of innovation and the various forward-looking movements currently informing art and architecture alike. For this second International Architectural Conference, the FRAC is also showing part of its collection at the Museum of Fine Art, under the title "Futurs Antérieurs" (Previous Futures). Several cultural institutions in Orléans are also associated with this event. In addition to the FRAC Centre Regional Contemporary Art Collection, I should like to thank the Institute of Visual Arts, the Multimedia Centre, the Orléans Museum of Fine Art, and the Astrolabe, a hall dedicated to present-day music. This dynamic helps disciplines to cross-fertilize around the various architectural issues, be it music, the visual arts, or the cinema. I am extremely pleased that for this ArchiLab event the City of Orléans has managed to forge a solid partnership with the Centre Region, and enjoy the very active backing of the Ministry of Culture and Communications. ArchiLab is also part of France's official celebrations for the year 2000, and has received the sponsorship of the Venice Architectural Biennale. My warm thanks go to all those who are giving us their valuable support at this time, as they do to those who have been working on and preparing this conference for many long months… not forgetting all the architects who are making it a living moment.