The Nordic Symposium on Beauty in Architecture
23.–24.05 2026, Oslo
For centuries, architecture was rooted in the pursuit of beauty, fueling vibrant cultures and traditions across the globe. Today we find ourselves departed from this ideal, as our built environments become ever more functional but increasingly soulless and inhumane.
With The Nordic Symposium on Beauty in Architecture we are reuniting in the aesthetic ideal, seeing tradition as part of our cultural identity and human desire for the good. We invite designers, planners, craftsmen, and enthusiasts for two days of exhibitions and dialogue, finding the way back to our own building cultures and retrieving the craft of Beauty in Architecture.
What happened in Oslo last May?
We learned of initiatives for beauty from all around the globe.
We met students and young professionals with renewed interest for building tradition.
We witnessed an extensive exhibition of new projects in classical and traditional architecture.
We listened to first-hand accounts from the creators of ornaments.
We discussed the issues of our contemporary building culture with architects from different backgrounds.
We practiced watercolor rendering in an architectural paint & sip.
Photos by Nikolai Brummer and Gertrud Oberg
Highlights from 2025:
Who are we?
Beauty in Architecture (BARCH) is a Norwegian non-profit organization fostering classical and traditional architecture in the modern world. Through our annual symposium in Oslo and various educational initiatives, BARCH encourages critical discussions around architectural beauty, harmony, and sustainability to contrast the current design trends. Our goal is to foster community and appreciation for human-scaled, heritage-informed designs that resonate with our common cultural and historical identity.
We are a small committee with many collaborators around the globe. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you want to contribute to our project.
Read more about our 2026 Committee here.
