Communiqués – 2025

17/03/2025

25 July 2025 –World Architecture Day 2025

Created by the UIA in 1985, World Architecture Day is celebrated each year on the first Monday of October, in parallel with the United Nations’ World Habitat Day.

The theme of the 2025 World Habitat Day will be linked to urban crisis response. Within this context, the UIA Council has chosen the theme “Design for Strength” for this year’s World Architecture Day that will be celebrated on Monday 6 October 2025.

16 July 2025 -UIA Architecture and Children Work Programme Launches 6th Cycle of the Golden Cubes Awards

The UIA Architecture and Children Work Programme has launched the sixth cycle of the Golden Cubes Awards, set for 2026.

These triennial awards aim to promote architectural education for children and youth, encouraging future generations to play an active role in shaping more sustainable, inclusive, and human-centred environments. Eligible projects may include educational programmes, tools, media, or activities designed for young people from preschool through 18 years of age.

The Golden Cubes Award Ceremony will be held during the UIA World Congress of Architects in Barcelona, from 28 June to 2 July 2026.

15 July 2025 -CATALYSTS OF RESILIENCE

The organisers of the UIA 2026 Barcelona World Congress of Architects, the Consejo Superior de los Colegios de Arquitectos de España (CSCAE) and the Col·legi d’Arquitectes de Catalunya (COAC), invite architecture students worldwide to participate in the international single-stage ideas competition “Catalysts of Resilience.”

The competition is organised and conducted in accordance with UNESCO Standard Regulations for International Competitions in Architecture and Town Planning and the UIA best practice recommendations in the framework of the UIA 2026 Barcelona World Congress of Architectsthat will take place on 28 June – 2 July 2026.

5 June 2025 -CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

UIA Member Sections are invited to submit nominations for the UIA Gold Medal and the six UIA Prizes. The winners will be announced during the UIA World Congress of Architects in Barcelona, Spain, in 2026.

The UIA Gold Medal is the most prestigious honour awarded to an architect by fellow architects. Established in 1984, it recognises outstanding architectural achievement by an individual or a group of architects, taking into account the full scope of a body of work developed over an extended period.

7 May2025 –WINNERS: THE FUTURE OF THE PROFESSION – EMPOWERING THE NEXT GENERATION IN PARTICIPATORY URBAN DESIGN

Organised by the UIA in collaboration with UNESCO , this competition invited young architects to imagine visitor centres that reimagine cultural heritage through participation, sensitivity, and site-specific innovation. A total of 139 proposals were received from 45 countries.

This competition was conducted in accordance with the UNESCO Standard Regulations for International Competitions and the UIA best practice recommendations.

28 April 2025 –CALL FOR PROPOSALS: UIA GUIDEBOOK FOR THE 2030 AGENDA

The International Union of Architects (UIA), through the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals Commission (SDGC), is pleased to invite architects worldwide to participate in the selection of projects for the 2026 UIA Guidebook for the 2030 Agenda.

18 April 2025 -Call for Participation: Libraries. Building Venetian intelligence, Venice Architecture Biennale 2025

On the occasion of the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, the Venice Pavilion will host the exhibition Libraries. Building Venetian intelligence. This initiative positions Venice as a candidate to become a centre of excellence for the emerging economy of knowledge and intuition. At its core is an innovative, decentralised library system—a living network of 101 city libraries, collectively forming a singular, city-wide library: an ecosystem of knowledge embedded in the urban fabric of Venice.

16 April 2025 – BAKU INTERNATIONAL ARCHITECTURE AWARD

The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Union of Architects of Azerbaijan (UAA) have launched the Seventh Edition of the Baku International Architecture Award

This biennial award, open to all qualified architects in the world and endorsed by the UIA since 2013, seeks to discover new ideas for the development and implementation of urban planning and architectural designs, more meaningful design for buildings and structures, search for composition, volumetric and spatial solutions, and the implementation of practical ideas to achieve the maximum diversity.

8 March 2025 – International Women’s Day 2025: “For ALL women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.”

In a world plagued by persistent inequalities, achieving equality for ALL women and girls remains both a fundamental conviction and an enduring challenge.

As the UN Secretary-General stated “At our current rate, legal equality is some three hundred years away”. Society risks further delaying the realisation of this goal. The world is struggling with multiple crises—environmental degradation, social transformations, widening economic disparities, political upheavals, and wars. In this context, both the achievements and the aspirations in the fight for women’s equality are at risk.

7 JANUARY 2025 – The Future of the Profession – Empowering the Next Generation in Participatory Urban Design

The International Union of Architects (UIA) has launched an international ideas competition designed to inspire and empower young architects to take a leading role in participatory urban design. This initiative aligns with the theme of the UN-Habitat World Architecture Day 2024: Empowering the Next Generation in Participatory Urban Design, underscoring the critical role of young architects in shaping sustainable and inclusive environments for future generations.