On Thursday 5 November 2026, from 7.30 pm to 10.30 pm, participants at the 21st AIVP World Conference in Dunkirk will gather at the FRAC Grand Large for the traditional gala dinner. The evening will also feature the presentation of the AIVP Antoine Rufenacht Prize, one of the highlights of the Conference.
An iconic place symbolising the relationship between the city of Dunkirk and its port
The choice of the FRAC Grand Large in Dunkirk was an obvious one for a conference dedicated to the links between cities and ports. The building stands in the Grand Large district, home to the former Ateliers et Chantiers de France, right on the waterfront.
Long associated with shipbuilding, this site tells, in its own way, the industrial and maritime history of Dunkirk. It also bears witness to how the city has successfully repurposed its port areas to give them a new function.
An architecture that preserves the industrial heritage
The FRAC Grand Large bears the signature of Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal, winners of the 2021 Pritzker Prize. When designing the building in 2013, the two architects chose to leave the AP2 hall intact – that is, the shipyards’ former Prefabrication Workshop No. 2, nicknamed ‘the Cathedral’ due to its extraordinary dimensions. The duo built a twin building alongside it, with identical proportions, facing the sea and featuring a translucent façade.
This juxtaposition of a post-war industrial silhouette and light-filled contemporary architecture creates a unique complex, where working-class heritage and artistic creation coexist. The FRAC houses and exhibits an internationally renowned collection of contemporary art and design, featuring works ranging from the 1960s to the present day.
Combining the regeneration of an industrial site, the city’s opening up to the seafront and a dialogue between heritage and new uses, the venue perfectly embodies several of the key issues that will drive the discussions at the Conference.
The presentation of the AIVP Prize Antoine Rufenacht
The gala dinner will provide the setting for the ceremony of the AIVP Prize Antoine Rufenacht, established to recognise exemplary development projects at the city-port interface that contribute to the emergence and long-term sustainability of sustainable port cities.
At the first edition of the Prize in 2024, held in Lisbon, the jury recognised the regeneration of the Tangier port area. Gathering all participants for the ceremony in a venue that itself embodies the transformation of a former port site will add a powerful symbolic dimension to the evening.
Practical information
Date: Thursday 5 November 2026, from 7.30 pm to 10.30 pm
Venue: FRAC Grand Large – Hauts-de-France, 503 avenue des Bancs de Flandres, 59140 Dunkirk
The gala dinner is just one of the many highlights that will feature at the AIVP World Conference.
Keynote speeches, round-table discussions, workshops, site visits and opportunities for discussion between experts and stakeholders from city-port regions are also on the event’s programme.
