Wallonia-Brussels International

Created in 2010 as an offshoot of Wallonia-Brussels International and the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, WBA supports the international dissemination and promotion of architectural practices (architects, town planners, landscape designers, photographers, graphic designers, etc.) from French-speaking Belgium. It also helps these creative professionals in their export process. 

WBA's mission is to:

• Promoting contemporary architecture abroad and showcasing French-speaking Belgian expertise internationally: WBA acts as an ambassador for the architectural quality produced in Wallonia and Brussels. It ensures visibility abroad for architectural productions from the territory and highlights the work of architects, urban planners, landscape designers, and other professionals of the built environment to foreign partners.
• Supporting professionals in their international development: The agency provides guidance to architects, urban planners, landscape designers, and other stakeholders of the built environment, supporting their international endeavors through advice, architectural aid programs, and by facilitating access to professional networks.
• Encouraging international collaborations: WBA acts as a facilitator in connecting French-speaking Belgian actors with foreign institutions, agencies, or project owners, fostering long-term cooperation and partnerships.
• Organizing collective representation initiatives or supporting promotional events: WBA takes part in the organization of exhibitions, conferences, publications, and other events that highlight local architectural production in international contexts (biennials, fairs, professional gatherings, etc.). The agency also coordinates the participation of teams or collectives at international events.
• Facilitating networking and partnerships: WBA builds bridges between local professionals and international contacts—project owners, cultural institutions, public or private partners—with the goal of fostering collaboration and exchange.
• Documenting and disseminating contemporary architectural production: Through publications, press kits, digital platforms (website, social media, monthly newsletter), or traveling exhibitions, WBA ensures the promotion and dissemination of the French-speaking Belgian architectural scene.
• Developing an international communication strategy: The agency designs multilingual communication campaigns (web, press, specialized media) to project a coherent and attractive image of the territory’s architectural scene. It also conducts targeted work with the press to amplify the dissemination of projects from the Wallonia-Brussels Federation.
• Producing and sharing high-quality editorial content: Publishing monographs, catalogues, digital platforms, videos, or podcasts that highlight the works, innovative approaches, or emblematic achievements of the professionals supported.
• Monitoring international opportunities: WBA keeps professionals informed about international calls for projects, competitions, residencies, and also guides them in finding grants or international partnerships.

WBA implements the following actions

• Organizing exhibitions in key international venues dedicated to architecture.
• Setting up conference and debate programs.
• Developing networking opportunities.
• Facilitating meetings with the international press, foreign architects, potential clients, and decision-makers abroad.
• Inviting key figures to Belgium to discover the potential of Wallonia-Brussels.
• Organizing building visits in the presence of local architects, both in Belgium and abroad.
• Developing promotional tools: website (in French and English), monthly newsletters, social media pages, brochures, books, and exhibition catalogues, etc.
• Organizing seminars, as well as individual or group briefings.
• Ensuring the distribution of publications on architecture in Wallonia-Brussels.
• Providing guidance on available support schemes, funding opportunities, and international prospects.

Terms of use

The purpose of these provisions is to set out the terms by which Wallonie-Bruxelles Architectures (WBA) gives you access to its Website.

Simply using and/or consulting this website implies unconditional, full and complete acceptance of all these provisions.

1. Liability
2. Links and forwarding
3. Intellectual property rights
4. Protection of personal data

1. Liability

Information contained on this site is provided for information purposes only.

WBA declines all liability in case of errors, inaccuracies or omissions affecting the information.

Similarly, WBA cannot be held liable should technical problems of any sort occur affecting the dissemination of information on its site. The same is true in case of changes, interruptions, suspension or deletion to or of this site.

In addition, WBA cannot be held liable for any direct or indirect harm that may occur due to the use of, or impossibility of using, this site and more generally from any event that is connected with the site.

The responsibility for the contents – images, texts, documents, references – relating to the architects or included and posted online by the architects rests with the architects only, both with reference to the accuracy thereof as well as in terms of the rights associated therewith.

2. Links and forwarding

This Website contains hypertext links to other sites as well as links to other sources of information. These links and sources of information are provided for information only. Under no circumstances can WBA guarantee the quality and/or exhaustive nature of the information found there. WBA declines all liability for direct or indirect harm that may result from consulting information on these other sites or in the other sources of information to which you may be forwarded.

3. Intellectual property rights

Use of the site confers no intellectual property rights on the user concerning its content.

Thus, rights to all text, photos, videos, data, posters, logos, trademarks and other elements reproduced on the site are reserved and protected by trademark and/or copyright and/or by any other arrangement in force that applies with regard to intellectual property.

Therefore, only private use is permitted.

Any other illicit use of all or part of the site (piracy, counterfeiting, ...) may give rise to proceedings in accordance with the laws in force.

4. Protection of personal data

All data that is personal to the user contained in WBA's files and received in the context of a request for information is processed in accordance with the law of 8 December 1992 concerning the protection of privacy in relation to the processing of personal data.

All users have the right to consult information regarding them and, if necessary, have it corrected by contacting the webmaster.

© WBA 2011

Wallonie-Bruxelles Architectures

Place Sainctelette, 2 | 1080 Brussels |  P: +32 2 421 83 64

To log on our website you must either be registered with the Order of French-speaking Belgian Architects or enter a project initiated by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation.

If you already have a personal page on our site, you can log in using your login details and adapt your existing project file.

If you do not yet have personalised access, you can obtain it by completing this form, indicating either the name of your company or the name of the FWB initator of the project you wish to present.

On this page, you'll find all the events organised by Wallonie-Bruxelles Architectures to encourage the international development and promotion of our operators.

On this page, you'll find all the exhibitions that Wallonie-Bruxelles Architectures is promoting internationally.

In order to promote the operators working in Wallonia-Brussels' architecture sector beyond its borders, Wallonia-Brussels International offers various types of support: 

• Applying for an international award
• Creating a promotional tool and/or a specific work
• Architectural photography
• Participating in a cultural event abroad
• Editing a publication – support with translation

In addition to this sector-specific support, if you need an extra financial boost to support the various stages of your export, you can find help from: 

• The Wallonia Export-Investment Agency if you are based in Wallonia;
• Hub Brussels Internationalisation if you are based in Brussels.

Wallonia Export-Investment Agency (AWEX)

FOR OFFICES WITH HEADQUARTERS IN WALLONIA

AWEX offers a wide range of more than 25 aids as well as financial and non-financial services to encourage your international development. It regularly updates its aid envelopes to offer you ever faster solutions that are better adapted to your commercial needs.

These aids and services cover every stage of the export process and are:

• accessible to companies located in Wallonia
• designed for companies of all sizes, as well as for other stakeholders in Walloon economic life (federations and groupings of professionals, freelancers, centres, clusters, etc.)
• free
• may be combined
• financial or non-financial in nature

Please note that you must be registered with AWEX to receive these services. If you are not yet registered, please contact the regional centre for your business.

Please note that you must be registered with AWEX to receive these services. If you are not yet registered, please contact the regional centre (Regional centres - Wallonia.be - Export Investment (awex-export.be)) for your business. There are six throughout Wallonia. If you are already referenced with AWEX, you may need to update your details. 

HUB BRUSSELS

FOR OFFICES WITH HEADQUARTERS IN BRUSSELS

Do you want to grow your business internationally? As an SME in Brussels, you can benefit from subsidies to help you do just that. Subsidies are available for eight types of projects:

1. Producing informational resources (with the exception of a website)
   Receive a reimbursement of up to 75% of costs if you have a promotional tool (brochure, catalogue, film, logo, leaflet, translation) produced in a language other than French or Dutch, with a view to exporting.
2. Taking a prospecting trip abroad
   Receive partial reimbursement of the costs related to your commercial prospecting trips.
3. Exhibiting at a trade fair abroad
   It is possible to receive a contribution towards half the cost of renting a personal or collective stand to make you as visible as possible at an international trade show, fair or exhibition, which undeniably helps you to make contacts in your sector.
4. Inviting prospects from markets outside the European Union
   Receive a reimbursement of 50% of your prospects' travel or accommodation expenses (maximum two nights), provided there are no more than two people and they come from outside the European Union.
5. Participating in a call for tenders for a market outside the European Union
   Receive a reimbursement of up to 50% for expenses relating to the purchase of specifications, any prospecting trips and even the time spent drafting the offer.
6. Temporarily renting a prospecting office outside the European Union (if new market)
   Contribution of up to 1,500 euros per month for renting an office abroad.
7. Getting advice on filing for a trademark, registration and certification abroad
   Receive a reimbursement of up to 50% of your costs if you use a consultant to file for a trademark, registration or certification abroad.
8. Recruiting for export-related projects
   Receive a fixed amount of 20,000 euros to hire a full-time employee to implement a specific project linked to exporting your goods and/or services!

More information:
https://hub.brussels/en/blog/8-export-incentives-for-your-business/

On this page, WBA lists the most relevant aid for it sector and its remit (the internationalisation of cultural and creative enterprises), but it is not an exhaustive catalogue. There are many different types of aid available depending on where you are based.

Consult the following agencies: 

• 1890.be if you live in the Walloon Region;
• 1819.Brussels if you live in the Brussels Region.