UIA World Congress of Architects 2026 Barcelona
In June 2026, Barcelona will host one of the largest global gatherings dedicated to architecture. Over three days, more than 10,000 participants and 250 speakers from around the world will come together across eight stages, with over 100 sessions, a 4,000-square-metre central exhibition and seventy architectural itineraries unfolding across the region. Set along the Mediterranean seafront — from the iconic Three Chimneys turbine hall to major civic venues — the Congress expands beyond a conventional conference format to experience the city. Plenary talks, lectures and debates, open forums, workshops, research presentations and public celebrations will activate the city as a concentrated space of exchange. From 28 June to 2 July, Barcelona becomes a worldwide meeting point for architects, researchers, students and institutions. This is more than a congress. Be part of it.
Congress Sessions
Being part of the UIA World Congress of Architects 2026 Barcelona means being part of a unique international gathering that promotes dialogue, reflection and the construction of shared futures
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.
Calendar
Inauguration of the Central Exhibition Three Chimneys
International Emerging Workshop Three Chimneys
Opening Ceremony Three Chimneys
Becoming More-than-human
Becoming Circular
Congress Sessions CCIB
UIA Working Bodies. Exhibition, lectures, and seminars CCIB
UIA Member Sections Exhibition DHub
Collateral Events Various locations
Central Exhibition Three Chimneys
Open Forum Sessions Three Chimneys
Student Competition Awards Ceremony Three Chimneys
Becoming Embodied
Becoming Interdependent
Congress Sessions CCIB
UIA Working Groups. Exhibitions, conferences, and seminars CCIB
UIA Member Sections Exhibition DHub
Collateral Events Various Locations
Central Exhibition Three Chimneys
Open Forum Sessions Three Chimneys
UIA Triennial Awards Sagrada Familia
Becoming Hyper-conscious
Becoming Attuned
Congress Sessions Three Chimneys
UIA Working Groups. Exhibitions, Conferences, and Seminars CCIB
UIA Member Sections Exhibition DHub
Collateral Events Various Locations
Central Exhibition Three Chimneys
Open Forum Sessions Three Chimneys
Congress Final Night Three Chimneys
Gala Dinner Montjuïc Castle
UIA own Awards and Closing Ceremony CCIB
UIA Member Sections Exhibition DHub
Central Exhibition Three Chimneys
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.