Banja Luka, 18–20 February 2026
Faculty of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy, University of Banja Luka
From 18 to 20 February 2026, the Faculty of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy of the University of Banja Luka will host APLE Fest 2026, a three-day event bringing together students, educators, researchers, professionals, and the wider public around contemporary issues of architecture, education, and social responsibility in the built environment.
APLE Fest transforms the new building of the Faculty into an Open House of Architecture, where a series of pavilions, public programmes, and informal encounters present the working methods of architectural Pop-Up Laboratories developed within the Erasmus+ APLE project. The festival focuses on learning-by-doing processes, experimentation, collaboration, and the communication of architecture with real social and spatial challenges.
During the festival, the results and methodologies of laboratories from architectural faculties in Podgorica, Sarajevo, Mostar, and Banja Luka will be presented, alongside international experiences from faculties in Trondheim, Rome, and Zagreb. Particular emphasis is placed on how architecture communicates complex spatial issues—both within academic frameworks and towards the broader public.
The exhibition programme is structured around four thematic pavilions:
- Live Studio – a problem-based studio grounded in context
- Real Studio – virtual Pop-Up laboratories based on data-driven approaches
- Data Studio – a studio oriented towards the labour market and professional practice
- Open Studio – a collaborative studio focused on action in public realm
In addition to the exhibition, the festival includes inspirational talks, Pop-Up Café gatherings, VR immersive experiences, a mini construction fair, and informal evening programmes, creating a space for the exchange of knowledge, ideas, and experiences between academia, professional practice, and the community.
APLE Fest opens a broader discussion on the communication of architecture, addressing questions such as: What is an architectural exhibition today? How can critical thinking be encouraged? How can theory be translated into action? And how does architectural education prepare students for the complexity of the real world and the responsibilities of professional practice?
APLE Fest in Banja Luka represents the final phase of the APLE project—an open platform for encounter, dialogue, and reflection on the future of architectural education and practice. More information about APLE Fest 2026 and related updates can be found at
https://apleproject.com/, https://aggf.unibl.org/sr-lat, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
The Erasmus+ APLE project (Pop-Up Architectural Laboratories for Knowledge Exchange) aims to strengthen relationships between higher education institutions and the broader economic and social context in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro by developing and applying an innovative format of collaborative learning through practice, with a positive impact on social change. The project runs from April 2023 to March 2026 and brings together seven partners: the Faculty of Architecture, University of Sarajevo (coordinator); the Faculty of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy, University of Banja Luka; the Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Mostar; the Faculty of Architecture, University of Montenegro in Podgorica; the Faculty of Architecture and Design, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim (Norway); Sapienza University of Rome (Italy); the Faculty of Architecture, University of Zagreb (Croatia); along with three associated partners: the Center for Spatial Research, the Association of Architects of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and ForA Mostar.