UIA 2026 Barcelona Congress Unveils Full Program with 250 Speakers and City-Wide Itineraries
Scheduled for June 28 to July 2, 2026, the UIA World Congress of Architects will be hosted in Barcelona, organized by the International Union of Architects (UIA), CSCAE, and COAC. The event anticipates attracting 10,000 attendees and 250 speakers from more than 130 nations, taking place at venues such as the Barcelona International Convention Centre and Disseny Hub Barcelona. The agenda will encompass six thematic axes, featuring plenary sessions, lectures, and workshops. Among the distinguished speakers are Pritzker Prize winners Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal. The UIA Gold Medal ceremony is set to be held at the Sagrada Família, which recently finished its central tower, reaching a height of 172.5 meters. Additionally, Barcelona has been designated as UNESCO's World Capital of Architecture 2026, with five teams shortlisted for Liceu Mar.
Key facts
- UIA World Congress of Architects 2026 Barcelona runs June 28 to July 2, 2026
- Organized by UIA, CSCAE, and COAC
- 10,000 participants and 250 speakers from over 130 countries expected
- Main venues: Barcelona International Convention Centre, Disseny Hub Barcelona, Three Chimneys complex
- Six thematic axes: Becoming More-than-human, Becoming Circular, Becoming Embodied, Becoming Interdependent, Becoming Hyper-Conscious, Becoming Attuned
- Research by Design program includes HouseEurope! with Brandlhuber+ and Anna Puigjaner with MAIO, Care., Pol Esteve
- Critical Antagonists: Timothy Morton, Marina Tabassum, Juan Herreros
- Open Forum outdoor platform with capacity 1,500
- Over 70 itineraries curated by AMOO
- International workshops June 19-27 with 180 students, led by Assemble, BeAr, TEN, Plan Común
- Speakers include Anne Lacaton, Jean-Philippe Vassal, Shigeru Ban, Wang Shu, Smiljan Radić, Architecten Jan de Vylder Inge Vinck, Lacol, Arquitectura G
- Opening/closing events by Cabosanroque and Cube Studio
- UIA Gold Medal and Triennial Prizes ceremony at Sagrada Família
- Collateral events: CICA and C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group meetings
- Barcelona is UNESCO World Capital of Architecture 2026
- Five teams shortlisted for Liceu Mar: SANAA with Camps Felip, Batlle i Roig with Snøhetta, Barozzi Veiga with MAIO and Burgos & Garrido, Sou Fujimoto with GRAS and Aldayjover, David Chipperfield Architects with b720 and Creus e Carrasco
- Sagrada Família central tower completed at 172.5 meters
Entities
Artists
- Anne Lacaton
- Jean-Philippe Vassal
- Shigeru Ban
- Wang Shu
- Smiljan Radić
- Timothy Morton
- Marina Tabassum
- Juan Herreros
- Anna Puigjaner
- Kate Orff
- Dirk Sijmons
- Brandlhuber+
- MAIO
- Care.
- Pol Esteve
- Baukunst
- Structural Xploration Lab
- Assemble
- BeAr
- TEN
- Plan Común
- Architecten Jan de Vylder Inge Vinck
- Lacol
- Arquitectura G
- Cabosanroque
- Cube Studio
- SANAA
- Camps Felip Arquitectura
- Batlle i Roig
- Snøhetta
- Barozzi Veiga
- Burgos & Garrido
- Sou Fujimoto
- GRAS
- Aldayjover
- David Chipperfield Architects
- b720
- Creus e Carrasco
- Smiljan Radic
Institutions
- International Union of Architects (UIA)
- Higher Council of the Colleges of Architects of Spain (CSCAE)
- Architects' Association of Catalonia (COAC)
- Barcelona International Convention Centre
- Disseny Hub Barcelona
- Three Chimneys complex
- HouseEurope!
- Forensic Architecture
- Centre for Spatial Technologies
- AMOO
- International Committee of Architectural Critics (CICA)
- C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group
- UNESCO
- Sagrada Família
- Port Vell
- UIA World Congress of Architects
- CCIB
- Disseny Hub
- Tres Chimeneas
- Lacaton & Vassal
Locations
- Barcelona
- Spain
- Sant Adrià de Besòs
- Catalonia
- Sant Adrià del Besòs