The Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) Advanced Architecture Barcelona has announced its 11th Advanced Architecture Contest as part of the official program for Barcelona World Capital of Architecture 2026. The international competition invites architects, designers, and students from around the world to envision the future of urban living under the theme "Barcelona 2051: City Futures for a Warming Planet."
Participants are encouraged to develop innovative proposals addressing the intersection of architecture, technology, and ecology in transforming urban environments for the coming decades. The competition offers flexibility in both topic selection and scale, welcoming projects in architecture, urbanism, landscape design, and interactive design. While proposals can be set in Barcelona or any other city worldwide, they must address critical cultural, environmental, economic, and social challenges while exploring new ways of inhabiting our planet in an era of climate change.
The competition features a distinguished international jury comprised of renowned experts from across the globe, including Donald Bates, Kai-Uwe Bergmann, Caroline Bos, Maria Buhigas, Jorge Carrión, Winka Dubbeldam, Jose Antonio Gras, Honorata Grzesikowska, Vicente Guallart, Loles Herrero, Mu Shao Hui, Daniel Ibáñez, Andrés Jaque, Rajendra Kumar, Areti Markopoulou, Willy Muller, Pati Nuñez, Mireia Peris, Florencia Pita, Barbara Pons, Anna Ramos, Carlo Ratti, Michel Rojkind, Enric Ruiz-Geli, Nader Tehrani, and Olga Subirós.
Winners of the competition will receive monetary awards along with full scholarships to pursue Masters programs at IAAC during the 2026-27 academic year. The competition is free to enter and is specifically categorized as a student competition, though it welcomes participants from various professional backgrounds. Both registration and submission deadlines are set for February 12, 2026, at 11:30 PM.
This competition represents a significant opportunity for emerging architects and designers to contribute to the global conversation about sustainable urban development and climate-responsive design. As cities worldwide grapple with the challenges of climate change, competitions like this serve as crucial platforms for innovative thinking and collaborative problem-solving in the architectural community.
