Barcelona 2026

In July 2021, the XXXIII UIA General Assembly elected Barcelona (Spain) to host the 2026 UIA World Congress of Architects.

Barcelona will become the first city to host the event twice. The institutions working on its organisation consider this an opportunity to rethink and update formats and themes in a global context of change. For this reason, the Congress organiser decided to submit, for the first time in the history of UIA Congresses, the general commissioning of the event to an international selection process via a two-stage competition. The aim of this international competition was to provide an incentive to broaden the horizons of this collective reflection and thus organise a Congress of maximum relevance and interest to the global community of architects.

The curatorial team, composed by Pau Bajet, Maria Giramé, Tomeu Ramis, Mariona Benedito, Pau Sarquella and Carmen Torres, selected as the General Commissioners of the Barcelona Congress, have developed the theme “Becoming. Architectures for a planet in transition”, which will analyse the capacity of architecture to transform reality in time. The theme will branch into six lines of research, curated by both the commissioners and an extensive and international group of invited collaborators; their conclusions will be presented throughout the Congress:

1. BECOMING BEYOND-HUMAN: How can we stimulate greater awareness and action to care for human and non-human planetary coexistence?
2. BECOMING ATTUNED: What forms of meaning, ethics, and aesthetics can we incorporate into our daily professional practice?
3. BECOMING EMBODIED: How can we incorporate our values and desires in the transition from matter to constructive beauty?
4. BECOMING INTERDEPENDENT: How can we include conflict, empathy, solidarity, and caring as key factors to improve interpersonal and civic relations?
5. BECOMING HYPER-CONSCIOUS: What tools and actions should we harness in order to become hyper-aware of our environment and catalyse change in our way of living?
6. BECOMING CIRCULAR: What will territorial production and reproduction look like, taking into account the post-extractivist and proximity policies of circularity.

Early Bird passes are now available for the UIA World Congress of Architects 2026 Barcelona, taking place from 28 June to 2 July 2026. The Congress will bring together architects, researchers, and students from around the world to exchange ideas and reflect on the future of architecture in a planet in transition, reinforcing Barcelona’s role as a global hub for architectural dialogue. Get yout ticket here.

The Congress has also announced its first group of confirmed speakers, bringing together leading international voices whose work reflects the Congress theme “Becoming. Architectures for a planet in transition”. The initial list includes renowned figures such as A JDVIV / IVJDV A (Jan de Vylder & Inge Vinck), Alexander Brodsky, Andrés Jaque, Anne Holtrop, Atelier Bow-Wow, Bas Smets, Baukunst, Bêka & Lemoine, Brandlhuber+, Bruther, Colectivo C733, Forensic Architecture, H Arquitectes, Marina Tabassum, OFFICE KGDVS, Paulo Tavares, Roger Boltshauser, Tatiana Bilbao, TEN Studio, Timothy Morton, Turenscape, Xu Tiantian and Yasmeen Lari, among many others. With more than 200 speakers to be featured overall, the Congress offers a diverse and global platform for debate, curated by the Scientific Committee and Curatorial Team.

Visit the official website of UIA 2026 here: www.uia2026bcn.org

Competition Catalysts of Resilience

As part of the UIA 2026 Barcelona World Congress of Architects, the Consejo Superior de los Colegios de Arquitectos de España and the Col·legi d’Arquitectes de Catalunya launch Catalysts of Resilience, an international ideas competition open to architecture students worldwide. The competition invites proposals that address vulnerable sites through innovative, time-based design strategies that foster resilience in response to social, political, and climate challenges, offering a platform for emerging architects to contribute visionary ideas to the future of the built environment.

Learn more about the competition here.

Emerging Workshop

The Emerging Workshop is a dedicated programme within the Barcelona Congress that empowers emerging architects and students to actively engage with the Congress theme “Becoming. Architectures for a planet in transition.” Conceived as a space for experimentation, collaboration, and critical thinking, the workshop fosters hands-on exploration, collective learning, and dialogue with peers and mentors, offering young practitioners a unique opportunity to contribute fresh perspectives to the global architectural debate. Applications are now open until 26 January 2026. Visit here for detailed information.