the World Congress of Architects is postponed

The International Union of Architects (UIA) and the Brazilian Institute of Architects (IAB) announced last Friday, March 20, that the 27th World Congress of Architects – UIA2020RIO would be postponed. Initially scheduled for July 19 – 23, 2020 in Rio de Janeiro, it will now be held on July 18 – 22, 2021.

This decision was taken jointly with the UIA2020RIO Executive Committee, after carefully analysing the situation caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This raised a series of stumbling-blocks (consisting mainly of health threats) for the vast majority of the countries that would otherwise have attended the world’s largest Architecture event. The announcement can be read here: https://www.uia2020rio.archi/comunicado_en.asp

With attendees already signed up from more than sixty countries, this Conference also has some fifty speakers and seven keynote speakers from seventeen countries. The original expectations were that this event would attract between 15,000 and 20,000 participants to Rio de Janeiro in 2020, ranking it as one of the largest business events in the city this year.

The many pre-Congress events – including exhibitions, seminars, lectures and other occasions – will be rescheduled as soon as permitted by the coronavirus pandemic.

“The situation in which we are living is dramatic, and it is a pity that we have to postpone our largest event. But we here at the UIA and the team preparing the UIA2020RIO in Brazil are firmly committed to repeating the preparations, in order to ensure that we hold one of our most memorable Congresses in 2021. This coronavirus crisis raises new issues and contexts for Architecture and Urban Planning that must be discussed in some depth,” says Thomas Vonier, who chairs the International Union of Architects.

All registrations and enrolments will remain valid for the new event dates, and the programme drawn up for the 27th World Congress of Architects will remain unchanged.

One of the main issues – Urban Health – tabled for discussion at UIA2020RIO under the coordination of the UIA Public Health Group (PHG) should become even more significant, encompassing discussions on Architecture and Urban Planning responding to the needs resulting from epidemics such as that caused by the coronavirus.

“Already a major theme at UIA2020RIO, discussions of Urban Health now take on a new dimension. We have much to discuss, ranging from hospital designs through to basic sanitation projects, and including discussions of urban spaces during epidemics. Without the slightest doubt, Architecture and Urban Planning have much to contribute to the sustainable development of our cities, as they face these new challenges,” commented Sérgio Magalhães, who chairs the UIA2020RIO Executive Committee.

With this postponement, the Congress will now be held in the Centennial year of the Brazilian Institute of Architects (IAB). Its President Nivaldo Andrade says that “Like Brazil, the Institute looks forward to welcoming practitioners from all over the world on an occasion that is so important to this entity.”