The UIA World Congress of Architects 2026 Barcelona (UIA2026BCN) launches the UIA International Emerging Workshop, the Congress’s special format designed for students and young practitioners to engage in a real-time laboratory led by twelve recognised emerging architectural practices.

Apply by January 10! [2]

The workshop will take place from 19 to 27 June 2026, one week before the Congress, offering a dynamic programme of workshops, public lectures, inspiring conversations with Worskshop Leaders and citywide site visits, all setting the stage for the Congress events.

A selected group of 180 participants from around the world will collaborate in twelve workshops, fostering cross-cultural and interdisciplinary exchange, each one with a distinct focus linked to the Congress theme Becoming. Architectures for a Planet in Transition. All outcomes will be showcased in a special exhibition during the Congress.

Barcelona as a Laboratory
Barcelona has long been a dynamic testing ground where architecture, urbanism and social life intersect to drive systemic transformation. Today, its capacity for reinvention faces urgent challenges: climate change and rising heat, mass tourism and gentrification, a shortage of affordable housing and the depletion of material and ecological resources.

These tensions mirror planetary-scale crises. The city is not seen as a fixed model, but as a laboratory where design can explore physical, social and ecological challenges.

This context shapes the UIA2026BCN theme Becoming. Architectures for a Planet in Transition, which calls for spatial practices that embrace time as a design tool and promotes transformation processes that are ecological, material, poetic and political.

Top emerging international architectural practices leading the workshops
Twelve recognised practices will bring a distinct research focus grounded in their ongoing work and tied to the six pillars of the Congress theme Becoming. Architectures for a Planet in Transition.

On the Becoming More-Than-Human, Simulaa and Design Earth will address the challenges of ecological coexistence; for Becoming Circular, Mio Tsuneyama / Fuminori Nousaku and Nicolas Dorval-Bory Architectes will explore the circularity of materials, energy recirculation and alternatives to indiscriminate demolition.

Furthermore, on Becoming Embodied, Nuno Melo Sousa and TEN Studio will focus on the transitions between matter and construction; and for Becoming Interdependent, Assemble and Plan Común will examinate how a space design shapes interpersonal relationships.

Lastly, on Becoming Hyper-Conscious, Common Accounts and Ibiye Camp will study awareness of both local and global interactions; and on Becoming Attuned, BeAr and Bangkok Tokyo Architecture will explore meanings and poetics in everyday work.

Calendar
31 October 2025 – Workshop launch
10 January 2026 – Portfolio submission deadline
31 January 2026 – Announcement of selected participants
15 February 2026 – Payment deadline
19 June 2026 – Start of the Workshop
27 June 2026 – Workshop final presentation and exhibition
28 June - 02 July 2026 – UIA World Congress of Architects 2026 Barcelona

Process and elegibility
The workshop is open to current students of architecture and related disciplines from all over the world, as well as to recent graduates who completed their studies in 2020 or later.

Applications must be submitted in English through the official Congress website and include an academic CV, a portfolio and the ranked studio preferences. A participation fee will be required for the selected participants, covering the workshop, shared materials and full access to the UIA World Congress of Architects 2026.

Ten fellowships will be awarded to support currently enrolled students facing economic barriers.

Visit uia2026bcn.org [3] for more information

For any questions regarding the application process, please contact workshop@uia2026bcn.org [4]

The Congress is organised by the International Union of Architects (UIA), the Higher Council of the Orders of Architects of Spain (CSCAE) and the Architect’s Association of Catalonia (COAC). It is made possible thanks to the institutional support of the Barcelona City Council, the Generalitat de Catalunya and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda (MIVAU), which has recognized it as an event of exceptional public interest.