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International Congress



Visit this page regularly

to stay informed of the developments on the Montreal 2017 project.

2017, Coming Together in Montreal

Mission Design’s Montreal 2017 project aims to cement Montreal and the province of Quebec on the international design map. Clustering the biennial congresses of all six of the international architecture, design and urban planning organizations, the objective is to create a series of parallel congresses with unique opportunities for linkage between them. Montreal 2017 will give the disciplines an occasion to come together and collaborate towards a brighter future.


Why 2017?

  • Canada’s sesquicentennial
  • Montreal’s 375th anniversary
  • Expo 67’s 50th anniversary

The six congresses' dates only coincide once every 6 years. And this will be the case in 2017! This presents a unique opportunity to come together and create synergies between architects, designers and planners, while magnifying visibility for the associations as well as for the city of Montreal. The project will celebrate the design disciplines, important components of our cultural identity as well as a potential driving factor in our economic development. 1967 and the events surrounding the Expo celebrations, set the stage for the design and architecture of the last 50 years in this province.

Now it is up to today’s architects, designers and urban planners to imagine our future together.


Participants and Partners

This international event aims to attract 15 000 architects, planners and designers from more than 125 different countries, making this the most important gathering of this sector in modern history, and an important stop on the international design calendar.

The targeted international organizations are:

  • International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid)
  • International Council of Graphic Design Associations (Icograda)
  • International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers (IFI)
  • Global Planners Network (GPN)
  • International Union of Architects / Union Internationale des architectes (UIA)
  • International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA)

Local and national partners include:


The Mission Design | 17 project has already established numerous partnerships:
l’Association des Architectes Paysagistes du Québec (AAPQ), l’Association des Designers Industriels du Québec (ADIQ), Association of Canadian Industrial Designers (ACID), l’Association professionnelle des designers d’intérieur du Québec (APDIQ), the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA), the Department of Economic Development, the Department of Municipal Affairs, Graphic Designers of Canada (GDC), Innovation and Export Trade (Quebec Government), Montreal International, Ordre des architectes du Québec (OAQ), Ordre des urbanistes du Québec (OUQ), the Palais des congrès de Montréal, Regions and Land Occupancy (Quebec Government), la Société des designers graphiques du Québec (SDGQ) and Tourisme Montréal.

Other partnerships being negotiated:


Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) ; Interior Designers of Canada (IDC) and the Canadian Institute of Planners.


A Work in Progress

Each individual organization must choose the location of their respective 2017 congresses by October of 2011. Therefore, the time to act is now.

Our plan of action includes:


  • Securing the congresses to be held in Montreal
  • Ensuring the quality of all architecture and design projects undertaken for 2017
  • Working closely with an established partner, Design Montréal, within the framework of "Building Montréal, UNESCO City of Design"
  • Focusing efforts on drawing international associations to Montreal
  • Pursuing our goal to establish a design hub in Quebec, where people, knowledge and information can be gathered and exchanged


Strengthening Quebec Industry

Quebec will benefit from this twofold. First, an event of this calibre will elevate our visibility on the international scene, lending credibility to our design industry and to Montreal’s designation as a "UNESCO City of Design". Conversely, the influx of architects, designers and urban planners and the knowledge they share will fuel the creative growth of the local industry, bringing the cutting edge of design knowledge and practice to our doorstep.