More than 10,000 architects from 130 countries gathered for the UIA World Congress of Architects 2026, the profession's flagship event taking place in Barcelona this week, and held every three years. Under the theme Becoming. Architectures for a Planet in Transition, talks, exhibitions and debates unfolded across the International Convention Centre, the DHub Design Museum and the disused Tres Chimeneas thermal power plant. Record summer temperatures only sharpened the urgency of the conversations, as speakers called on architecture to respond to an increasingly unstable planet.
6 key takeaways from the UIA World Congress of Architects 2026
Organisers described the programme as 'purposefully overwhelming', and they delivered. Six thematic strands unfolded over three days, each curated by a team of Barcelona-based architects working across disciplines including housing, civic infrastructure and installation design. The result felt unusually democratic. Emerging practices, researchers and activists were given equal footing with established figures, including Shigeru Ban and Smiljan Radić, signalling a profession interested in ideas over hierarchy.
Becoming 'More Than Human' and 'Circular'
The opening sessions argued that architecture must move beyond designing solely for people. Becoming More Than Human explored models of coexistence between humans and wider ecological systems, with landscape architect Catherine Mosbach presenting projects that embed themselves within existing environments rather than dominate them.
Material scarcity and resourcefulness defined Becoming Circular. French practice Lacaton & Vassal joined Barcelona studio H Arquitectes to champion an architecture of restraint, arguing that careful resource management and circular construction can produce greater spatial, environmental and social generosity. Doing more with less has become less a design philosophy than a necessity.
Becoming 'Embodied' and 'Interdependent'
Becoming Embodied shifted the focus to architecture's social and cultural impact. Sri Lankan architect Palinda Kannangara demonstrated how Buddhist philosophy, adaptive reuse and a light environmental footprint can shape elegant contemporary homes. Aga Khan Award-winning architect Marina Tabassum presented a mobile bamboo housing system developed for Bangladesh's shifting river communities, where architecture is measured by adaptability rather than permanence.
The Congress repeatedly returned to architecture's civic responsibility. 'Space is never neutral. It shapes society. Everything is interconnected. Rethink architecture as a framework,' said Congress curator Mariona Bendito. Professor Juan Herreros echoed the sentiment, arguing that architecture must become 'a series of integrated systems' capable of addressing planetary challenges rather than isolated buildings.
Becoming 'Hyper Conscious' & 'Attuned'
Technology emerged as both an opportunity and a responsibility in Becoming Hyper Conscious. Eyal Weizman, founder of Forensic Architecture, outlined how advanced modelling and open source intelligence have been used to document the destruction of Gaza, arguing that architects have a role in preserving evidence and collective memory as much as designing new buildings.
The most quietly persuasive conversations came in Becoming Attuned, where architects defended the value of the ordinary. 'There is a raw beauty in the vernacular,' said Swiss architect Leopold Banchini. Jaume Mayol, of Mallorca-based studio Ted'A, questioned why contemporary housing has abandoned the everyday spaces that encourage neighbourly interaction. 'Where are the galleries and the alcoves in new residential apartments? Legislation is killing social acts.'
The venue: Tres Chimeneas
Each evening, the Congress moved to Tres Chimeneas, the decommissioned power station that in the coming years will be transformed into a civic and media hub. Grandstands overlooking Barcelona's once- industrial waterfront hosted open discussions between architects, residents and visitors, while installations, music and performances transformed the vast site into something closer to a cultural festival than an industry conference.
Tres Chimeneas (Three Chimneys)
That shift in format may prove one of the Congress's most lasting ideas. Architecture often struggles to communicate beyond its own profession. Here, discussions around affordable housing, climate resilience and public space felt accessible, immediate and shared. If the discipline hopes to shape the future, it must continue to convince the public that it has a stake in it.