World Congress of Architects.
Barcelona. UIA 2026.
Becoming.
Architectures for
a planet in transition.
Becoming.
Architectures for
a planet in transition.
Becoming.
Architectures for
a planet
in transition.
From 28 June
to 2 July
From 28 June
to 2 July
UIA World Congress
of Architects
2026 Barcelona
A unique international event that transcends disciplinary and geographical boundaries, the UIA World Congress of Architects 2026 Barcelona brings together renowned architects, researchers, and influential figures from multiple fields to promote the exchange and production of knowledge.
Held in different cities every three years since 1948, during post-war reconstruction, the 29th edition will unfold along Barcelona’s seafront.
With the theme Becoming. Architectures for a planet in transition, the event focuses on speculative, qualitative inquiries to explore material, political, ecological, and poetic interrelations. The Congress features a diverse array of events, including lectures, workshops, debates, exhibitions, visits and celebrations, all designed to encourage architectural dialogue and the sharing of perspectives.
Becoming.
Architectures for
a planet in transition
Becoming explores spatial practices that foster the appropriation and transformation of our inhabited environments —both human and more-than-human, individual and collective— by investigating the potential of time as a design tool. Rejecting the notion of tabula rasa, it is rooted in a deep awareness of pre-existing physical and cultural landscapes, curating transitions through material, political, ecological, and poetic interrelations.
In an effort to move beyond the depletion of capitalist-driven paradigms, Becoming poses challenges that suggest alternative prospects: six thematic research lines frame these explorations, inviting open-ended, intersecting investigations into what it means to design for a world in transition.
Call for Participants
This Call for Participants invites contributions to the UIA World Congress of Architects 2026 Barcelona, aligning with the Becoming. Architectures for a planet in transition, research lines in three different formats:
Critical Design
Critical Essay
Critical Image
News
Urban Innovation Challenge MINERAL. Architectures of Urban Mining
Launch Event
Calls for Participants for the UIA World Congress of Architects 2026 Barcelona Now Open.
Locations
The UIA World Congress of Architects 2026 in Barcelona is not limited to a single enclosed venue, but is integrated into the fabric of the city, making use of its infrastructure, public spaces, and vibrancy as an active part of the event. Rather than taking place in an isolated exhibition centre away from urban density, the congress will be held at various locations across Barcelona and its metropolitan area.
Partners
The UIA World Congress of Architects 2026 Barcelona is organized by the Higher Council of Professional Associations of Architects of Spain (CSCAE) , in collaboration with the Architects ́ Association of Catalonia (COAC) and the participation and financing of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda of Spain, the Generalitat of Catalonia and the Barcelona City Council.
Barcelona: World Capital
of Architecture 2026
The International Union of Architects has been organizing the UIA Congress since 1948 with the aim of addressing the challenges facing society from the standpoint of the knowledge of architectural professionals.
In 2018, the UIA and UNESCO agreed that the city hosting the UIA Congress would become the World Capital of Architecture. In 2021, the UIA designated Barcelona as the site for UIA´s congress, thirty years after hosting it in 1996 with great public success and international impact. By virtue of this designation, UNESCO has named Barcelona World Capital of Architecture 2026.
Unlike the UIA Congress which is aimed at the professional public and offers a disciplinary discussion, sharing the innovations of contemporary architecture and urbanism, Barcelona 2026 World Capital of Architecture presents a program – led by the Chief Architect of Barcelona´s City Council – accessible and attractive, for architectural dissemination, aimed at all the citizenship, in collaboration with the entire community, professional and cultural entities, institutions and schools that are dedicated to promoting architecture, urbanism and landscape design of our city.