IAAC Named Digital Fabrication Partner of UIA World Congress of Architects 2026 Barcelona

The full programme of the UIA World Congress 2026 was presented this week, thirty years after Barcelona last hosted the event in 1996. Under the theme Becoming. Architectures for a Planet in Transition, the Congress will reunite professionals from over 130 countries for five days of debate, exhibitions and urban itineraries.

The programme includes a 4,000 m² central exhibition, more than 70 itineraries across the city and its surroundings — including visits to spaces opening exceptionally for the occasion — and a format that goes beyond the conventional congress model, opening up to the city, its territory and the broader public.

Part of the Congress facilities will be located on the site of the former Three Chimneys industrial complex in Sant Adrià del Besòs, as part of a sustainable urban regeneration initiative.

IAAC’s appointment as digital fabrication partner of the UIA World Congress 2026 reflects the institution’s long-standing position at the forefront of advanced architectural research and production in Barcelona and beyond.

Since its founding, IAAC has developed a body of work that integrates digital fabrication, robotics and computational design into architectural practice — from research projects and academic programmes to built installations exhibited at international venues. The UIA World Congress represents a new opportunity to bring this expertise into dialogue with the global architectural community, and to demonstrate how digital fabrication is reshaping the way architecture is conceived, produced and experienced.

The UIA World Congress of Architects is held every three years and is the largest gathering of architects worldwide. The 2026 edition will take place in Barcelona from 28 June to 2 July, welcoming professionals from over 130 countries under the theme Becoming. Architectures for a Planet in Transition.