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Barcelona prepares to become the world epicentre of architecture in 2026
In 2026, Barcelona will cease to be merely an iconic city and become the world's great architectural stage. The Catalan capital has been designated World Capital of Architecture, a title that will fill its ten districts with more than 1,500 activities from February to December, in a programme designed so that every neighbourhood tells its own story through the buildings that define it.
The main event will be the UIA World Congress, to be held from 28 June to 2 July. Three decades after hosting it for the first time, Barcelona becomes the only city on the planet to host it again. A milestone that reinforces its role as a benchmark in urban planning, sustainability and heritage.
The event seeks not only to debate but also to transform. A large model of Barcelona will be built to show the complexity of its urban fabric and, through an international competition, ten party walls in the city will be rehabilitated and turned into living façades, one per district, changing the urban landscape and improving the buildings’ energy efficiency.
With exhibitions devoted to Picasso and the great names of Catalan architecture, alternative routes to rediscover invisible neighbourhoods, and workshops in which children and young people will design the city of the future, Barcelona hopes to leave behind in 2026 not only a historic cultural programme, but a legacy that will remain in its streets for generations.