In July 2021, the XXXIII General Assembly of the International Union of Architects (UIA) chose Barcelona as the site of the UIA World Congress of Architects 2026.
The city of Barcelona, where the masterpieces of world-renowned architects such as Antoni Gaudí and Lluís Domènech i Montaner are intertwined with modernism and contemporary innovation, will thus become the first city to host the event twice
Read on!
Barcelona, world capital of architecture 2026
Following the theme, "Becoming. Architectures for a planet in transition", the capacity of architecture to transform reality over time will be analyzed.
Among the organizations involved, a program will be developed to present architectural knowledge in a didactic and attractive way; and for ten months, from Santa Eulalia to Santa Lucía, there will be activities in all districts: exhibitions, routes, workshops, open days, installations, conferences and competitions.
The aim will be to vindicate our heritage and the talent that exists in the city, while at the same time disseminating the transformation of current urban planning and architecture.
The theme branches into six lines of research:
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Becoming beyond human: How can we stimulate greater awareness and action to care for human and non-human planetary coexistence?
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Tuning in: What forms of meaning, ethics and aesthetics can we incorporate into our daily professional practice?
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Enchant: How can we incorporate our values and desires in the transition from matter to constructive beauty?
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Becoming interdependent: How can we include conflict, empathy, solidarity and caring as key factors in improving interpersonal and civic relationships?
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Becoming hyperconscious: What tools and actions should we leverage to become hyper-aware of our environment and catalyze change in the way we live?
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Becoming circular: What will territorial production and reproduction look like, taking into account post-extractivist and proximity politics of circularity?
The contribution of Barcelona | Education and architectural culture
Barcelona is not only a laboratory of architecture in terms of buildings and urban spaces, but also in education and architectural thinking.
Prestigious Schools of Architecture
The city is home to some of the most prestigious architecture schools in the world. The Higher Technical School of Architecture de La Salle-URL (ETSALS) offers a learning experience in Architecture and Building, working with the talent of top architects from Barcelona, and the rest of the world.
The structure of the campus has two advantages that facilitate an open architecture education supported by the Design Studio. The scale of the campus allows for greater interpenetration between disciplines, close coexistence between areas within the same university, and greater collaboration between research teams.
Moreover, its location in Barcelona confirms the deeply rooted tradition of architectural education in this city, alma mater of several generations of architects whose historical imprint at local, national and international level is evident and identifiable in Barcelona architecture and urbanism (Cerdà, Gaudí, Jujol, Sert, Coderch, Mitjans, Miralles, etc.).
Events and Exhibitions
Events such as the Barcelona Building Construmat and Barcelona Design Week are just two examples of how the city promotes dialogue and innovation in the field of architecture, attracting professionals and amateurs from all over the world.
From May 14 to June 28, Barcelona will celebrate Architecture Weeks, seven weeks with an extensive program designed to strengthen the link between architecture and citizenship.
Organized by the Barcelona City Council and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe, the Architecture Weeks have five strategic partners and some fifteen academic partners (all the Catalan schools of architecture, urban planning, landscape and spatial design) and aim to promote the presence and collaboration of entities in charge of disseminating architecture in the city, representing different disciplines, cultures and works.
HIGHER TECHNICAL ARQUITECTURE SCHOOL | LA SALLE-URL
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