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The International Union of Architects [1] (French: Union internationale des Architectes; UIA) is the only international non-governmental organization that represents the world's architects, now estimated to number some 3.2 million in all.
The UIA was founded on 28 June 1948 in Lausanne, Switzerland, following the merger of the Comité permanent international des Architectes and the Réunion International des Architectes. Its General Secretariat is located in Paris. The organisation is recognised as the only global architecture organisation by most United Nations agencies, including UNESCO, UNCHS, ESOSOC, UNIDO and the World Health Organization as well as the WTO. The current (2021-2023) president is José Luis Cortés from Mexico.
Through its Member Sections, the UIA is represented in over 100 countries and territories, geographically grouped into five regions:
The governing bodies of the UIA are:
The UIA World Congresses are key events for professional and cultural exchange among all the world's architects, bringing together thousands of participants from around the globe. Each event focuses on a different architecture-related theme, developed by eminent personalities from the international architectural, planning and construction fields. Debates, exhibitions, tours and networking events make the UIA Congresses the perfect meeting place for experts, colleagues, friends, and students of architecture.
UIA Congresses are organised by a host UIA Member Section. Congress bids are submitted to the UIA General Assembly and selected by vote six years in advance of the event.
List of congresses from 1948 to 2026
| Nr. | Year | Location | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1948 |  Lausanne | Architecture Faced with its New Tasks |
| 2nd | 1951 |  Rabat | How Architecture is Dealing with its New Tasks |
| 3rd | 1953 |  Lisbon | Architecture at the Crossroads |
| 4th | 1955 |  The Hague | Architecture and the Evolutions of Building |
| 5th | 1958 |  Moscow | Construction and Reconstruction |
| 6th | 1961 |  London | New Techniques and New Materials |
| 7th | 1963 |  Havana | Architecture in Underdeveloped Countries |
| 8th | 1965 |  Paris | The Training of Architects |
| 9th | 1967 |  Prague | Architecture and the Human Milieu |
| 10th | 1969 |  Buenos Aires | Architecture as a Social Factor |
| 11th | 1972 |  Varna | Architecture and Leisure |
| 12th | 1975 |  Madrid | Creativity and Technology |
| 13th | 1978 |  Mexico City | Architecture and National Development |
| 14th | 1981 |  Warsaw | Architecture, Man, Environment |
| 15th | 1985 |  Cairo | Present and Future Missions of the Architect |
| 16th | 1987 | Brighton | Shelter and Cities - Building Tomorrow's World |
| 17th | 1990 |  Montreal | Cultures and Technologies |
| 18th | 1993 |  Chicago | Architecture at the Crossroads - Designing for a Sustainable Future |
| 19th | 1996 | Barcelona | Present and Futures. Architecture in Cities |
| 20th | 1999 |  Beijing | Architecture of the 21st Century |
| 21st | 2002 |  Berlin | Resource Architecture |
| 22nd | 2005 |  Istanbul | Grand Bazaar of Architectures |
| 23rd | 2008 |  Turin | Transmitting Architecture |
| 24th | 2011 |  Tokyo | DESIGN 2050 Beyond disasters, through Solidarity, towards Sustainability |
| 25th | 2014 |  Durban | Architecture otherwhere |
| 26th | 2017 |  Seoul | Soul of City |
| 27th | 2020 |  Rio de Janeiro | All Worlds. One World. Architecture in the 21st Century. [2] |
| 28th | 2023 |  Copenhagen | Design for a Sustainable Future [3] |
| 29th | 2026 | Barcelona | One day, One tomorrow [4] |
On 23 November 2018, the UIA published a Memorandum of Understanding [5] with UNESCO on the new joint label World Capital of Architecture. The title is awarded every three years, according to the rhythm of the UIA World Congresses. Since 2020, the world congress has always taken place in the respective world capital. There is a formal application process for this. The World Congress selects the World Capital for the year of the next World Congress from the shortlist of applications, the formal announcement being made by the Secretary General of UNESCO. In 2020 Rio de Janeiro was the world capital of architecture, 2023 Copenhagen [6] and 2026 Barcelona. A program and a series of major events take place in the respective world capital throughout the calendar year.
Since 1984 the organisation also awards the UIA Gold Medal to honour an architect (or group of architects) having distinguished themselves through their work and professional practice by the quality of services rendered to man and society. Past recipients of the award were:
| Year | Architect | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Hassan Fathy | Egypt |
| 1987 | Reima Pietila | Finland |
| 1990 | Charles Correa | India |
| 1993 | Fumihiko Maki | Japan |
| 1996 | Rafael Moneo | Spain |
| 1999 | Ricardo Legorreta Vilchis | Mexico |
| 2002 | Renzo Piano | Italy |
| 2005 | Tadao Ando | Japan |
| 2008 | Teodoro Gonzalez de Leon | Mexico |
| 2011 | Álvaro Siza Vieira | Portugal |
| 2014 | Ieoh Ming Pei | USA |
| 2017 | Toyo Ito | Japan |
| 2021 | Paulo Mendes da Rocha | Brazil |
The UIA also awards the following five prizes:
The UIA manages international architecture competitions.
The Union of International Associations (UIA) is a non-profit non-governmental research institute and documentation center based in Brussels, Belgium, and operating under United Nations mandate. It was founded in 1907 under the name Central Office of International Associations by Henri La Fontaine, the 1913 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and Paul Otlet, a founding father of what is now called information science.
The International Council on Monuments and Sites is a professional association that works for the conservation and protection of cultural heritage places around the world. Now headquartered in Charenton-le-Pont, France, ICOMOS was founded in 1965 in Warsaw as a result of the Venice Charter of 1964 and offers advice to UNESCO on World Heritage Sites.
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Sir Leslie Patrick Abercrombie was an English regional and town planner. Abercrombie was an academic during most of his career, and prepared one city plan and several regional studies prior to the Second World War. He came to prominence in the 1940s for his urban plans of the cities of Plymouth, Hull, Bath, Bournemouth, Hong Kong, Addis Ababa, Cyprus, Edinburgh, Clyde Valley and Greater London.
The year 1996 in architecture involved some significant architectural events and new buildings.
Peep Jänes is an Estonian architect.
Thomas Vonier is an architect with a private practice based in Paris and Washington D.C. He is a senior partner in Chesapeake Strategies Ltd, advising organizations on innovations in the building, design, security, and urban sectors.
United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) is an umbrella international organisation for cities, local and regional governments, and municipal associations throughout the world that is concerned with representing and defending the interests of local governments on the world stage.
Pierre Laconte, is a Belgian urbanist. He specialises in urban transport and architectural planning and environmental issues.
Samuel Óghalé Oboh is a Canadian architect, manager, leader, former Vice President - Architecture at AECOM Canada Architects Ltd - a Fortune 500 Company and the 2015 President of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC). Sam Oboh is the first Canadian of African descent to be elected as president of this Canadian Royal Institute - a feat that the erstwhile director of the Institute of African Studies at Carleton University - Ottawa, the late professor Pius Adesanmi described as "a history-making event on many fronts." In 2021, at the Rio General Assembly, Oboh was elected as the Vice President for Region 3 of the Paris-based International Union of Architects (UIA) - a body recognized by the United Nations, working to unify architects, influence public policies, and advance architecture to serve the needs of society. Oboh was elevated to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects at an investiture ceremony held in New York on June 22, 2018. The citation read at the investiture ceremony noted that "Oboh exemplifies the ideals of stewardship excellence by intensifying public advocacy - inspiring diversity, promoting good design and championing transformative initiatives for public good." With his investiture, Oboh qualified to use the FAIA designation. Only about 3% of architects in the United States of America have this unique distinction.
The International Committee of Architectural Critics is a non-profit organization of international architecture critics, and was founded in Mexico City on October 26, 1978, during the 13th World Kongress of the Union internationale des architectes (UIA). The CICA is headquartered nearby the UIA in Paris. Paris was also the residence of Pierre Vago, who was head of the organization for years. The seat of the secretary was originally located in Buenos Aires, residence of Jorge Glusberg, but can be transferred per decret to any other place worldwide according to the residence of the chairmen.
Teodoro González de León was a Mexican architect.
Gaétan Siew is a Mauritian architect.
Jean André Tschumi was a Swiss architect and professor at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne.
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María Eugenia Hurtado Azpeitia is a Mexican architect. She is the coordinator of the Carlos Leduc M. Workstop of the Faculty of Architecture at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
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