Report
A Paradigm Shift in Urbanism: What 10,000 Architects Will Discuss at the Global Congress in Barcelona
Today, April 27, Barcelona officially presented the business program of the World Congress of Architects (UIA 2026). The event, which will bring together over 10,000 professionals from 130 countries, marks a paradigm shift: the architectural community is taking on the role of designing not just buildings, but new economic and social models. Their decisions will form the foundation of future urban planning standards, to which the entire construction business will have to adapt.
Municipal Demands to Architects
Speaking at the presentation, the Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, formulated three pragmatic priorities that architects will need to design for, and businesses will need to build business models around:
- Mass housing for the middle class. Cities are facing an exodus of the economically active population due to rising real estate prices. Architects must develop solutions that allow developers to build high-quality, affordable housing without sacrificing profitability.
- Adaptation to climate risks. Infrastructure must protect residents from extreme weather events. Architecture here acts as an engineering tool for survival and reducing energy consumption.
- The "Right to Beauty" as public policy.Collboni emphasized that an aesthetic and well-thought-out environment is no longer an exclusive attribute of the premium segment. Authorities expect designers to provide solutions that make high-quality architecture a baseline standard for all neighborhoods.
"As a mayor, I am primarily looking for practical tools. From the experts at this congress, we expect not just theoretical reflections, but concrete, workable answers to the crises facing modern cities."
Why Reconstruction is Becoming More Profitable Than New Construction
Historically, UIA congresses have shaped global trends. As UIA Vice President Teresa Táboas noted, while the organization was founded in 1948 to massively rebuild infrastructure after World War II, today's priority is protecting territories from climate and geopolitical destruction. "Architecture must once again become an act of care and repair," Táboas stated.
For the construction sector, this means a gradual departure from the extensive "demolish and rebuild" model. Architects are beginning to initiate new rules of the game:
As Ksenia Gavrilova, an expert in urban development, strategist, and future congress participant, notes: "Architecture is definitively ceasing to be an industry of form creation and is becoming a tool for designing social and economic models." In her opinion, today it is not enough to simply build an object—it is necessary to create a scenario that makes it viable in the long term. The shift towards "Adaptive Reuse" and the strategy of "architecture as repair" is not merely an ecological trend, but a pragmatic response to the cities' demand to preserve identity and increase the profitability of territories.
For the construction sector, this means a gradual departure from the extensive "demolish and rebuild" model. Architects are beginning to initiate new rules of the game:
- Lobbying for new laws: The program features the House Europe! project. This initiative aims to change European legislation with the goal of making the reconstruction of existing buildings legally and economically more viable for investors than new construction.
- Urban Mining: Architects are designing buildings to serve as "material banks" in the future. Construction waste and old structures are increasingly viewed as resources. Major industrial players, such as Holcim and Roca, will act as congress partners to implement recycling technologies on an industrial scale.
As Ksenia Gavrilova, an expert in urban development, strategist, and future congress participant, notes: "Architecture is definitively ceasing to be an industry of form creation and is becoming a tool for designing social and economic models." In her opinion, today it is not enough to simply build an object—it is necessary to create a scenario that makes it viable in the long term. The shift towards "Adaptive Reuse" and the strategy of "architecture as repair" is not merely an ecological trend, but a pragmatic response to the cities' demand to preserve identity and increase the profitability of territories.
"The UIA Congress is a unique moment when architecture stops closing in on itself. It becomes a space for meeting and dialogue, to make an accurate diagnosis of our historical time."
Horizontal Debates at "Las Tres Chimeneas"
The organizing committee has abandoned the traditional academic format in favor of an interdisciplinary approach. The five-day program (June 28 to July 2) is based on 250 presentations and structured around six vectors of transformation.
Among them: Becoming Circular (circular economy and building recycling), Becoming Interdependent (new spatial development policies and rethinking public space), and Becoming Hyper-Conscious (the impact of big data, new legislation, and geopolitics on urbanism). The Becoming More-than-human vector requires developers to rethink the integration of objects into natural ecosystems amidst the climate crisis. The Becoming Embodied vector focuses on the physical properties and lifecycle of new building materials. A special role belongs to Becoming Attuned (poetics, aesthetics, and culture): it returns the focus of architecture to beauty, but in a new status. The aesthetics of the environment is no longer seen as a premium option—it becomes a basic social norm and a mandatory standard for projects of any class.
To ensure a global scale of discussion, visionary architects have been invited to Barcelona, including Pritzker Prize laureates: Shigeru Ban, Lacaton & Vassal, Amateur Architecture Studio, and Smiljan Radić.
However, the main feature of the lineup is its expansion far beyond pure design. The program includes legendary urbanist Jan Gehl, world-renowned economist Mariana Mazzucato, and Mexican affordable housing practitioner Tatiana Bilbao.
To prevent formal monologues, the organizing committee is introducing the format of "Critical Antagonists"—12 independent experts from the fields of philosophy, economics, and ecology, whose task will be to rigorously audit the proposed solutions at the main plenary sessions.
Among them: Becoming Circular (circular economy and building recycling), Becoming Interdependent (new spatial development policies and rethinking public space), and Becoming Hyper-Conscious (the impact of big data, new legislation, and geopolitics on urbanism). The Becoming More-than-human vector requires developers to rethink the integration of objects into natural ecosystems amidst the climate crisis. The Becoming Embodied vector focuses on the physical properties and lifecycle of new building materials. A special role belongs to Becoming Attuned (poetics, aesthetics, and culture): it returns the focus of architecture to beauty, but in a new status. The aesthetics of the environment is no longer seen as a premium option—it becomes a basic social norm and a mandatory standard for projects of any class.
To ensure a global scale of discussion, visionary architects have been invited to Barcelona, including Pritzker Prize laureates: Shigeru Ban, Lacaton & Vassal, Amateur Architecture Studio, and Smiljan Radić.
However, the main feature of the lineup is its expansion far beyond pure design. The program includes legendary urbanist Jan Gehl, world-renowned economist Mariana Mazzucato, and Mexican affordable housing practitioner Tatiana Bilbao.
To prevent formal monologues, the organizing committee is introducing the format of "Critical Antagonists"—12 independent experts from the fields of philosophy, economics, and ecology, whose task will be to rigorously audit the proposed solutions at the main plenary sessions.
Tellingly, the former thermal power plant Las Tres Chimeneas in Sant Adrià de Besòs has been chosen as the primary location for open discussions (Open Forum). This territory is a clear case study of how a modern architectural concept reboots the economy of an abandoned industrial zone with the participation of corporations.
Right on the seashore, tribunes for 1,500 people will be erected for debates, where the voices of local residents will sound on par with those of global stars.
Furthermore, a massive 4,000 sq. meter exhibition and over 70 urban architectural itineraries are planned. The solemn UIA awards ceremony will take place within the walls of the Sagrada Familia.
Right on the seashore, tribunes for 1,500 people will be erected for debates, where the voices of local residents will sound on par with those of global stars.
Furthermore, a massive 4,000 sq. meter exhibition and over 70 urban architectural itineraries are planned. The solemn UIA awards ceremony will take place within the walls of the Sagrada Familia.