W Award – Venice Architecture Biennale

As part of the 19th International Architecture Biennale in Venice, Wilmotte & Associés unveils an exhibition dedicated to the eleventh edition of the W Award — an ideas competition launched in 2006 to promote the concept of architectural grafting among a new generation of designers.

Each year, participants are invited to intervene on a historic site, seeking a balance between contextual sensitivity, material integrity, and engagement with the major issues of our time: ecological transition, cultural transmission, and hospitality.

All shortlisted projects reflect an approach to architecture as a form of applied research — one that honors the integrity of place while embracing contemporary challenges.

The site chosen for this year’s edition — the ruins of the Saint-Maur Monastery, nestled within the Montmajour Abbey — provided a setting as demanding as it was inspiring. Listed and protected by the Centre des monuments nationaux, this historic location gave rise to proposals that are subtle, thoughtful, sometimes bold, and always discerning.

The opening, held on May 8, 2025, will bring together the laureates, the teams from Wilmotte & Associés, and representatives of the Centre des monuments nationaux, all united by a shared belief: that architecture should not be a rupture, but a sensitive mediation between heritage and future.

Exhibition dates: May 9 to November 23, 2025
Opening event: May 8, 2025