A wicked laboratory will gather twelve emerging practices of international relevance, each leading a studio with students and young architects. For one week, Barcelona will provide the context for collaborative explorations of how architecture can respond to a planet in transition.
Held in the days leading up to the UIA World Congress of Architects 2026, the workshop offers a platform for direct collaboration, hands-on research, and shared experimentation. Through studio work, site visits, and open exchanges, participants will engage with the city as a living laboratory—producing outputs that range from drawings and models to interventions and speculative proposals, while contributing to the global dialogue on architecture’s role in shaping more resilient and inclusive futures.
Workshop Leaders
Nicolas Dorval-Bory Architectes
Chrisna Duplessis / UIA Member of the Scientific Committee. Region V
Meritxell Inaraja / COAC/CSCAE Member of the Scientific Committee
Pau Sarquella / UIA World Congress of Architects 2026 Barcelona Curator
Carmen Torres / UIA World Congress of Architects 2026 Barcelona Curator
Javier Rodríguez, Technical Secretariat of the UIA Barcelona 2026 Congress
Cristina Guadalupe, Technical Secretariat of the UIA Barcelona 2026 Congress
Workshop Venue:
Les Tres Xemeneies de Sant Adrià del Besòs
Once part of a controversial 1970s thermal power plant, Les Tres Xemeneies de Sant Adrià de Besòs has become one of the most iconic post-industrial landmarks of the Barcelona metropolitan area. Long a symbol of environmental debates and urban transformation, the site now resonates strongly with the theme of the 2026 UIA World Congress of Architecture: Becoming. Architectures for a planet in transition. Reopened to the public in 2024, the vast turbine hall preserves its raw monumentality while opening new possibilities for cultural and civic use.
In 2026, it will host the Congress exhibition, alongside activities, lectures, and celebrations. As a warm-up, the International Emerging Workshop will bring participants into this striking setting, connecting its layered history with the debates of the Congress ahead.
The workshop is open to students and graduates in architecture and related disciplines who completed their studies in 2020 or later.
Participants will be required to pay a fee of €180. This includes the entrance for the UIA World Congress of Architects 2026.
The organiser is collaborating with students’ residences and residential colleges to be able to offer all workshop participants a selection of affordable options for booking their accommodation. This selection will only be available for the selected participants in the workshop.
05/10/2025 Workshop announcement and call for participation
10/01/2026 Deadline for apply / register
31/01/2026 Announcement of selected participants
15/02/2026 Deadline for payment
20/06/2026 to 27/06 2026 Workshop
27/06/2026 Workshop final presentation and exhibition
For registering, each candidate must fill a form and submit the following documents online:
1. Portfolio: A digital portfolio (in one singular PDF with a maximum of 10 x A4 pages), showcasing an array of three selected and relevant academic and/or non-academic work realized by the candidate (Max. 10 MB)
2. CV: A digital CV (in one singular PDF with only 1 x vertical A4), with the most significative academic and/or professional experience of the candidate.
In case you have any questions please contact workshop@uia2026bcn.org