'Becoming’ Selected for 2026 UIA World Congress in Barcelona

In the face of a global context of change, the UIA is regarding the 2026 edition of the triennial Congress as an opportunity to rethink and update formats and themes. Thus, for the first time in the history of the Congress, the UIA decided to submit the general commissioning of the event to an international selection process. The aim of the two-round international competition was to provide an incentive to broaden the horizons of this collective reflection about the state of the profession. 

In the selection of “Becoming,” the jury recognized the wide range of events and activities proposed, as well as a common thread that has time as its central axis. Furthermore, the jury was also convinced by the “ability to propose knowledge based on the action and praxis of the profession” with the participation of “a solvent and extensive network of collaborators that guarantees and reflects the diversity necessary to start a relevant debate.” 

The jury was composed of prestigious architects and well-known international figures (Ángela García de Paredes, Bet Capdeferro, Carme Pigem, José María Sánchez, Josep Bohigas, Josep Ferrando, Josep Lluís Mateo, María Hurtado de Mendoza, Philip Ursprung, and Zaida Muxí) as well as a representative of each organizing institution. In addition to providing their institutional support, the organizing administrations finance, in equal parts, the celebration of this World Architecture Congress, which has been recognized as an event of exceptional public interest in the General Budget Law of the State by the Spanish government.

The winning team will publicly present the details of its proposal on January 17 at an event at the headquarters of the Architect’s Association of Catalonia (COAC).