The Official Closing Ceremony took place at the CCIB and brought together institutional representatives from the organisations behind the Congress, including Sandra Bestraten, Dean of the COAC; Joan Busquets, Honorary President of the Congress; Marta Vall-llossera, President of the CSCAE and Congress President; Iñaqui Carnicero, Secretary General for Urban Agenda, Housing and Architecture; Víctor Puga, Secretary for Territory, Urban Planning and Urban Agenda of the Government of Catalonia; Jaume Collboni, Mayor of Barcelona; Lazare Eloundou, Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre; Regina Gonthier, President of the UIA; and Tang Wenhong, Vice Mayor of Beijing.
The ceremony culminated with the reading of the Barcelona Declaration, a manifesto structured around six commitments — time, matter, life, justice, scale and meaning — conceived as a roadmap for the profession and the principal intellectual legacy of the Congress. It reflects the commitment of professionals around the world to an architecture capable of responding to the climate emergency, guaranteeing the right to housing and transforming the built environment through sustainability, justice and the common good.
The UIA flag was then handed over to the representatives of Beijing, host city of the next UIA World Congress of Architects in 2029.
The Central Exhibition Becoming. Architectures for a Planet in Transition at the Three Chimneys remains open to the public with free access until 19 July, Thursday to Sunday, 12:00–21:00.
The UIA World Congress of Architects 2026 Barcelona officially closed this morning, bringing together more than 10,000 participants from 130 countries and recording more than 30,000 visits to its activities and main venues. “You made it for the second time,” said UIA President Regina Gonthier, summing up the success of this 29th edition in Barcelona.