The UIA World Congress of Architects is an international event for architectural dialogue organised by the International Union of Architects (UIA, by its French acronym), a non-governmental organisation that unites national associations of architects from over 100 countries, representing more than one million professionals. The first UIA Congress of Architects, which also marked the institution's founding, was held in Lausanne in 1948 during the post-war reconstruction period. Since then, UIA congresses have been held every three years in a different city within a member country, serving as the organisation's main recurring event. In 2026, the Congress will be held in Barcelona, and UNESCO has consequently designated the city as the World Capital of Architecture 2026. Each Congress focuses on a key topic relevant to the profession, articulated through a central theme. Recent themes include Copenhagen 2023: "Sustainable Futures. Leave no one behind." and Rio 2020–2021: "All the worlds. Just one World." The topic for 2026 is "Becoming. Architectures for a Planet in Transition," welcoming renowned figures in contemporary architectural thought and practice for a broad and critical overview of the possible futures of architecture.
With a multidisciplinary approach, Barcelona will become, for five days (28 June–2 July 2026), a global laboratory and hub for debating forthcoming ecological, social, material, and cultural transitions. The curatorial team is composed of architects Pau Bajet, Mariona Benedito, Maria Giramé, Tomeu Ramis, Pau Sarquella, and Carmen Torres. Together, they develop the central theme in conjunction with the Scientific Committee, under the honorary presidency of Fuensanta Nieto and Joan Busquets, Honorary President of the Congress. The UIA World Congress of Architects 2026 Barcelona has released a preliminary preview of its lecture programme, along with further details on activities that will bring together more than 10,000 professionals from around the world. Participants will come from the fields of architecture, landscape design, and urban planning, as well as from institutional spheres and the student community, all gathering in Barcelona in 2026.
The week preceding the Congress will feature an international workshop for students and young architects, while the main exhibition will be open to the public for four weeks, showcasing some of the most relevant projects and research presented at the symposium. The Congress will bring together more than 200 speakers from around the world, selected "for the relevance of their contributions, their disciplinary diversity, their representativeness, and their commitment to an architecture capable of responding to the real needs of people." The first list of confirmed speakers includes A JDVIV / IVJDV A / (Jan de Vylder and Inge Vinck), Alexander Brodsky, Andrés Jaque, Anne Holtrop, Atelier Bow-Wow, Bas Smets, Baukunst, Bêka & Lemoine, Brandlhuber+, Bruther, Colectivo C733, Forensic Architecture, H Arquitectes, Marina Tabassum, OFFICE KGDVS, Paulo Tavares, Roger Boltshauser, Tatiana Bilbao, TEN Studio, Timothy Morton, Turenscape, Xu Tiantian, and Yasmeen Lari.
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The Architecture Agenda: Inside the Key Events of 2026Other leading figures in landscape and ecology include BC architects & studies & materials, Catherine Mosbach, Dirk Sijmons, Rotor, Taller Capital, and Transsolar; practices engaged with social and political issues, such as Assemble Studio, HouseEurope!, La Col, Lara Almarcegui, Samia Henni, and Teddy Cruz & Fonna Forman; as well as voices in theory and research, including Charlotte Malterre-Barthes, Jack Self, Lydia Kallipoliti, Mario Carpo, Philippe Rahm, Rahul Mehrotra, and The Architecture Lobby. The Congress also introduces the role of the Critical Antagonist, aimed at stimulating debate and opening new perspectives through critical interventions in keynote sessions. The first confirmed figures to take on this role include Enrique Walker, Giovanna Borasi, Juan Herreros, Marina Otero, Philip Ursprung, and Sana Frini, among others. Also confirmed are Adamo Faiden, Al Borde, Andrés Jaque, Anna Puigjaner, Beatriz Colomina, Boomsern Premthada, Eva Franch, Go Hasegawa, Keller Easterling, Mark Wigley, Matilde Cassani, MOS, Point Supreme, Structural Xploration Lab, TAKK, Ted'A, Zirkular, and 51N4E.
The programme will feature multiple formats, including plenary session presentations moderated by the Critical Antagonists, lectures, dialogues, debates, round tables, student workshops, and a major exhibition. Tickets to attend the Congress are now on sale and include different types of passes for professionals, students, and young participants, providing access to the programme of talks, activities, and the exhibition. Events will take place at the Barcelona International Convention Centre (CCIB), the Three Chimneys (a seafront landmark once part of a controversial thermal power plant built in the 1970s and today one of the most emblematic post-industrial sites in the Barcelona metropolitan area), the Disseny Hub Barcelona, directly connected to Les Tres Xemeneies by tram, and other landmark locations across the city. These include sites distributed throughout different neighbourhoods, such as Montjuïc Castle and the Sagrada Família. All Congress venues form an interconnected metropolitan axis that enhances the urban character of the event while highlighting the city's relationship with its maritime frontage.
As architecture and design enter 2026 amid renewed experimentation, urgent environmental reflection, and an expanded global dialogue on the built environment, the events of the year spotlight architecture's evolving role as both a record of our changing world and a driver of more equitable and sustainable futures. Recent announcements in the international architecture events agenda include the appointment of Portuguese architect and academic Joaquim Moreno as Chief Curator of the 8th Lisbon Architecture Triennale, responsible for developing a new curatorial project for the 2028 edition; the release of programme and activities calendars related to the designation of Oulu in Finland and Trenčín in Slovakia as European Capitals of Culture 2026; and the naming of architects Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu, founders of Amateur Architecture Studio and leading voices in contemporary practice, as Curators of the Venice Architecture Biennale 2027.
