For the first time in its history, the Angola Architects’ Association (OA) had its own pavilion at the Disseny Hub Barcelona during the World Congress of the International Union of Architects (UIA) 2026, which took place in the Catalan city from June 28 to July 2. The African country —represented by a delegation of 30 people, according to its Embassy in Madrid— was able to showcase the talent and technical potential of its professionals at one of the largest global gatherings dedicated to architecture.
This considerable number of representatives from the African country confirms “the resilience, technical competence, and capacity of Angolan professionals to intervene in any global scenario,” indicates the Embassy of Angola in a press release sent to DiplomacyNews. For its part, the OA called for recognition of the “strategic role of the architect” and emphasized the urgency to “create opportunities” for the many young African professionals, “allowing their technical potential to translate into social transformation and improvement of the well-being of populations”.
The note adds that the participation of Angolan architects in UIA 2026 “reflects the institutional capital accumulated since 2014 through a collective movement of the African continent to assert its contribution in a global context”. This context, according to the statement, is marked by drastic transformations —such as climate change, technological challenges, and uncontrolled urban growth— to which the OA advocates a transversal and multidisciplinary approach to the territory.
Through an intense political-institutional agenda, the OA has elevated the projection of national architecture and urbanism to an unprecedented level. The institution consolidated Angola’s geopolitical and cultural affirmation on the largest global platform of the specialty.
Throughout the congress, the Angolan delegation in Barcelona was permanently accompanied by the Diplomatic Mission of Angola in Spain, whose “support and institutional endorsement reinforced the relevance of the delegation before the high international authorities” present at the event, it is stated in the statement.
On the other hand, the president of the OA, Vity Claude Nsalambi, presented a historic candidacy for the Presidency of the International Union of Architects, which achieved the second highest number of votes worldwide in an event that defined the governing bodies of the organization for the 2026–2029 term, which will be composed of Li Zhang (China) as the new president; Teresa Táboas (Spain) as secretary general; and Marco Vázquez (Mexico) as treasurer.
Over three days, more than 10,000 participants and 250 speakers from around the world gathered on eight stages, with more than 100 sessions; in addition to having a central exhibition of 4,000 square meters and seventy architectural itineraries deployed throughout the region.
The event was attended by the president of Portugal, António José Seguro, the Spanish Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, and high representatives of the Generalitat de Catalunya.
