In 2013, the Flemish Government Architect Team launched the first call for proposals for the new Government Architect Label (or BWMSTR Label). Its purpose was (and still is) to ‘pick up innovative and policy-relevant ideas from research and design practice, thereby supporting unsolicited research in its early stages’. ¹ In 2022, the Brussels chief architect maître architecte introduced a similar instrument under the name BMA Label, and in 2023, the Cellule architecture of the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles (FWB) also launched the Label cellule archi. The three institutes emphasise the importance of an investigative and innovative approach, and demonstrate that criteria such as topicality, social added value and critical reflection are held in high regard. 1 Bouwmeester Label, https://www.vlaamsbouwmeester.be/nl/tools/bouwmeester-label, last consulted on 4 April 2025.

To launch an innovative idea that is relevant to policy as a designer, researcher or creator, all you need to do is formulate a good research proposal on a single A4 sheet, which will then be selected from a large number of submissions. Its accessibility has made the Label a well-known and valued instrument in the landscape of architectural culture. ² As the website of the Flemish Government Architect states, the Label is ‘not a subsidy or prize, but a modest start-up budget for spatial research without a client’. ³ Since 2015, the Flemish Architecture Institute (VAi) has been involved in the selection of entries and, in addition to financial support and the Flemish Government Architect’s seal of approval, the teams are given the opportunity to present their research to the public (in the form of a lecture, debate, publication or exhibition). For its Label, the Cellule works together with the Commission des Arts plastiques – Session Architecture (CAP archi) and the Institut Culturel d’Architecture Wallonie-Bruxelles (ICA-WB). Together, they are responsible for selecting projects. ICA-WB also supports and guides the selected teams in the implementation and publication of their projects with a publication or exhibition. 2 This is evident from recent conversations with designers in Flanders and Brussels. See Pieters, Evelien and Bart Tritsmans, De parallelle praktijk als voedingsbodem voor de architectuurcultuur in Vlaanderen (Parallel practice as a breeding ground for architectural culture in Flanders), Flemish Architecture Institute, 2025. 3 Bouwmeester and BMA Label: 6,000 euros incl. VAT in 2025. Label cellule archi: 8,000 euros incl. VAT in 2025.