Locations

Formerly part of a controversial thermal power plant built in the 1970s, this iconic seafront landmark now stands as one of the most significant and symbolically charged post-industrial sites in the Barcelona metropolitan area. Originally conceived to meet growing energy demand, the power plant soon became a focal point for environmental concerns, labor disputes, and urban planning debates—tensions that resonate strongly today with the central theme of the UIA World Congress of Architects 2026: “Becoming. Architectures for a Planet in Transition.”

Following its closure in 2011, the building remained inactive until 2024, when it was partially reactivated as one of the main venues of Manifesta 15. Minimal yet strategic interventions made it possible to open the vast turbine hall to the public for the first time, enabling its cultural use while preserving its monumental industrial character. These adaptations laid the groundwork for its continued use prior to its definitive transformation into Catalunya Media City.

The preservation and survival of this industrial complex have also been made possible through the sustained commitment of citizens and various local groups who, from the earliest debates about the plant’s future, advocated for its architectural, historical, social, and heritage value. Their efforts played a decisive role in establishing Les Tres Xemeneies as a unique element of the metropolitan collective memory and as a landmark of contemporary industrial architecture.

At this pivotal moment of transition, the turbine hall will host the International Emerging Workshop, the main exhibition, and the Open Forum sessions, which will bring together each day’s speakers in a more informal debate format every afternoon. It will also serve as the venue for the opening celebration and the closing night event of the UIA 2026 Congress.

Part of the facilities for the UIA World Congress of Architects 2026 Barcelona will be located within the former industrial complex of Les Tres Xemeneies in Sant Adrià de Besòs, thanks to the free concession granted by Front Marítim del Besòs, a company established by Endesa and Metrovacesa with the aim of promoting the sustainable urban development of this area and transforming it into a European benchmark for urban regeneration.

Opened in 2004 as part of the Universal Forum of Cultures, the Barcelona International Convention Centre (CCIB) forms part of the seafront area transformed in the early 21st century through major urban development projects, infrastructure investments, and event-driven economies.

The CCIB will serve as one of the main venues of the UIA World Congress of Architects 2026, hosting the plenary sessions and, outside these, a programme of parallel sessions distributed across multiple rooms. The centre will also accommodate the UIA Working Bodies, making it a key hub for both the Congress programme and its internal governance.

Its technical and logistical capacity makes it a fundamental component in supporting the scale of the Congress and facilitating the coexistence of diverse formats for debate and exchange, in dialogue with the other venues and activities distributed throughout the city.

Located in the renewed Glòries district—originally conceived by Ildefons Cerdà as the new civic centre of Barcelona within his visionary Eixample plan—the Disseny Hub stands at the heart of one of the city’s most ambitious urban transformations. In recent years, this area has flourished, becoming once again a key point of reference for Barcelona’s residents, surrounded by public facilities, affordable housing developments, and the extensive green spaces of Parc de les Glòries.

Disseny Hub Barcelona, a leading institution in the fields of design and creative culture, will serve as the second main venue of the UIA World Congress of Architects 2026. Located in Plaça de les Glòries—one of Barcelona’s most important urban nodes, currently in the final stages of a major regeneration process—the building will host lectures, debates, and a wide range of parallel activities. Thanks to the flexibility of its spaces and its strong public vocation, the Disseny Hub provides an ideal environment for collective exchange and civic participation.

The venue is directly connected to Les Tres Xemeneies by tram, with a journey time of just 20 minutes, reinforcing the metropolitan dimension of the Congress and encouraging mobility through Barcelona’s dynamic and ever-evolving urban landscape.