This year the Flemish Government Architect is celebrating its twentieth anniversary. The establishment of the Flemish Government Architect and the launch of the Open Call greatly increased the quality of public commissioning and architectural production. But the success of the Bouwmeester function also brought criticism: indeed, for design offices, lost competitions mean a waste of labour, of workforce, of creative energy. Yet architecture, like most other cultural expressions, can also profit from ‘loss’.

‘In various competitive contests, loss generally occurs under complex conditions. Considerable sums are spent on the upkeep of premises, animals, machinery or personnel. Energy is expended as much as possible to evoke a sense of wonder, in any case with an intensity infinitely greater than in production enterprises.’¹ 1 Bataille, G. (1967). *La Part Maudite*. Paris: Éditions de Minuit, 29.