Curation of the UIA World Architecture Congress BCN ’26
The international contest to curate the UIA World Architecture Congress Barcelona 2026 opened last 28th June.
The Congress is designed as an opportunity to rethink and update the formats and themes that architecture congresses should adopt. This is why the candidates for the team of curators will undergo an unprecedented international selection process at the UIA with a two-round competition.
For the first stage, with a deadline of 7 September, the submissions must determine the theme, motto and objectives of the Congress and its thematic and content development. Five finalist submissions will be selected in this first round and they will have to make a final submission before 15 November. The members of the team will be studied, as well as their professional profiles and career paths. The winning team will be announced during December 2023.
The event is mainly aimed at architects, but also at professionals from other disciplines who are interested in participating. One of the objectives of the Congress is to show architecture as a crosscutting tool for improving life in society, opening the door to creating multidisciplinary teams. Though always led by an architecture professional, these teams will also incorporate profiles from other spheres.
The competition awards 150,000 euros in fees for the winning team. A financial compensation package of 6,000 euros is also planned for the teams that make it to the second round but are not selected as the winner.
A jury of renowned prestige
The members of the team of curators will be chosen by the administrations promoting it, together with a committee of renowned and prestigious experts formed by the following architects: Ángela García de Paredes, Beth Capdeferro, Carme Pigem, José María Sánchez, Josep Bohigas, Josep Ferrando, Josep Lluís Mateo, María Hurtado de Mendoza, Philip Ursprung and Zaida Muxí.
*Caption: Pepe Navarro. Views of Barcelona and l’Eixample. 2007.