The Tres Xemeneies (Three Chimneys) in Sant Adrià de Besòs, an iconic industrial relic, will be a main venue for the World Architecture Congress, opening today and running until July 2nd. The event, also featuring activities at the International Convention Centre of Barcelona (CCIB) at the Fòrum complex, aims to tackle pressing debates on ecology, new materials, repurposing of spaces, and public housing.
Six commissioners, architects from a new generation, are leading this congress, offering a refreshed perspective compared to the 1996 edition. This time, the team is gender-balanced and diverse, reflecting a radical shift in architectural practice towards collectives, cooperatives, and multidisciplinary teams, including experts in data, materials, and citizen participation.
“"The way we build our cities, the resources we use, have planetary consequences, affecting territories of mineral extraction, deforestation..."
Barcelona is the only city chosen twice to host this global event. The congress will gather prominent figures such as the firm Architecten Jan de Vylder Inge Vinck, recipients of the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture - Mies van der Rohe Award, and reuse specialists Lacaton Vassal. Catalan practice Harquitectes, known for projects like the expansion of the MNAC and Macba, will also participate.
Other notable speakers include China's Xu Tiantian, known for subtle interventions in rural villages, the latest Pritzker Prize winner Smiljan Radić, and Shigeru Ban, famous for his cardboard tube architecture. The congress will also host sociologists, economists, filmmakers, and philosophers for a multidisciplinary approach.
Daytime programs will take place at the CCIB, while afternoons will shift to the Tres Xemeneies for debates at the Open Forum by the sea. The congress's main exhibition, showcasing prototypes and installations from various research projects, will be open inside the industrial building. Additionally, the DHUB will host a contemporary architecture exhibition featuring proposals from 54 countries, and the Sagrada Família will be the venue for the awards ceremony of the International Union of Architects (UIA).
With 10,000 registered participants, the congress aims to sow seeds for future architectural research, making Barcelona a hub of ideas and discussions.
