Barcelona will host the International Union of Architects (UIA) World Congress of Architecture from 28 June to 2 July, aiming to help the city address future challenges. This event marks the second time Barcelona has hosted the congress, 30 years after the previous one in 1996.
Iñaqui Carnicero, Secretary General for Urban Agenda, Housing, and Architecture for the Spanish government, said the congress will allow Barcelona to "take a position" on future challenges. He stated at the presentation at the College of Architects of Catalonia (COAC) that "Barcelona once again invokes global thought, not from certainty, but from the awareness that everything is in transformation." He was joined by Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni and the Catalan government's Minister for Territory, Housing, and Ecological Transition, Sílvia Paneque.
The congress will focus on explaining the 'Barcelona Model' following the city's transformation for the Olympic Games. It will welcome 250 speakers and 10,000 professionals from 130 countries across more than 100 sessions.
Key Venues and Activities
Congress commissioners Pau Bajet, Marions Benedito, Maria Giramé, Tomeu Ramis, Pau Sarquella, and Carmen Torres highlighted the 'Open Forum' sessions. These will take place in the afternoons at the Tres Xemeneies esplanade in a "temporary structure" with capacity for 1,500 people, designed for idea exchange and collective debate.
Beyond the Tres Xemeneies, the main venue for the congress will be the Barcelona International Convention Centre (CCIB). The Sagrada Familia will also play a special role, hosting the awards ceremony for the triennial UIA prizes. Additionally, more than 70 itineraries will be offered across the Catalan capital and its surroundings. These tours aim to connect the congress content with the territory, including visits to restricted areas opened specifically for the occasion.
Addressing Future Challenges
Mayor Collboni emphasised the "physical, but above all intangible, legacy" that both Barcelona's World Capital of Architecture status in 2026 and the congress will leave. He said the congress will empower professionals to find solutions for current challenges, citing the housing crisis, climate change, and the "right to beauty" for all citizens. Collboni also noted Barcelona's status as an international architectural reference, proven by hosting the UIA Congress for a second time in a relatively short period.
Minister Paneque described architecture as an "act of transformation" and a framework for political action that public administration must use to tackle future challenges relevant to Catalonia. She expressed hope that "this congress will help us see where we come from, but, above all, where we need to go, taking into account our roots."
Marta Vall-llosera, president of the Superior Council of Colleges of Architects of Spain (CSCAE) and of the Congress, opened the presentation. She stated the event will be both different and transformative, with the goal of "sharing and advancing in the challenges and aspirations" of architecture. Guillem Costa Calsamiglia, dean of the COAC, added that it will be "a space for debate and reflection, and a platform to generate knowledge," highlighting it as an example of public and private sector collaboration.
