Bezoeker bekijkt een architectuurmaquette van het Glaspaleis in een tentoonstelling over de geschiedenis en ontwikkeling van het gebouw.

Architecture Day: Architecture as a space for encounter

This weekend marks the national Architecture Day. Across the Netherlands, buildings open their doors and activities are organised around architecture, design, and the built environment. At SCHUNCK, architecture also takes centre stage: as part of the history of the Glaspaleis, as a subject of exhibitions and research, and as a way of reflecting on how we live together.

Architecture at SCHUNCK

Since November 2025, SCHUNCK has presented the semi-permanent exhibition Modernism in Motion: From the Glaspaleis to Parkstad. The exhibition explores how architecture and urban planning have shaped the region and how ideas about living, working, and living together have evolved over time. From the iconic Glaspaleis to the development of Parkstad, architecture tells stories about the society of the past, present, and future.

Bezoekers bekijken maquettes en interactieve presentaties in een tentoonstelling over architectuur en stadsontwikkeling in SCHUNCK.

Semi-permanent presentation 'Modernism in Motion – From the Glaspaleis to Parkstad'

Architecture and society

“Architecture is not only about buildings, but about the way we live together. Especially at a time when social differences are becoming more visible, architecture shows how we can create space for encounter, connection, and solidarity,” says Andrea Croé, Senior Curator of Architecture & Urbanism.

This social role of architecture is an important part of SCHUNCK’s programme. Each year, SCHUNCK organises the Euregional Architecture Award (EAP), which recognises graduation projects by architecture students from the Euregion. Many of these designs address current social issues such as the adaptive reuse of buildings, sustainability, housing, and inclusivity.

The Heerlen Rooftop Project (2019–2023) also explored how design can contribute to a more sustainable and socially connected city. Through an international ideas competition focused on the rooftops of Heerlen, the project sought new possibilities for encounter, greening, and the use of urban space.

Dreaming Out Loud: Koen Savelkoul

Presentation 'Dreaming out loud: Koen Savelkoul'

Maquette met in de achtergrond bezoekers die kijken naar architectuurtentoonstelling.

Euregional Architecture Award (EAP) Exhibition – 35th Edition

Uitzicht vanaf een groene daktuin met houten plantenbakken vol bloemen. Op de achtergrond is de kerktoren van Heerlen zichtbaar onder een bewolkte hemel, geframed door bladeren op de voorgrond.

The Heerlen Rooftop Project – Q-Park Putgraaf Rooftop Garden

Architecture Day for children

This year, SCHUNCK celebrates Architecture Day in a slightly different way. On 30 July, it is not architects or professionals who take centre stage, but children and their families.

During Get Creative with architecture, living together (or Kloemele met architectuur, samen samenleven - in Dutch), children aged 6 and up explore together with their (grand)parents how architecture can contribute to meeting, playing, and working together. After a short discovery tour through the Glaspaleis, participants get to work with sketching, building, and experimenting.

What would a city look like if children were allowed to design it? What kinds of places are needed to live together? And how do you create space for encounter? During the workshop, participants are given full freedom to reflect on these questions and shape their ideas. In doing so, the workshop connects to a question that is also central in many architectural projects: how do we design spaces where people can meet and shape the future together?

Kind in een geel veiligheidsvest maakt een tekening op een grote witte muur, terwijl op de achtergrond nog een kind aan het tekenen is.