UIA World Congress

The 28th edition of UIA World Congress of Architects, which recently concluded in Copenhagen, Denmark, welcomed architects and practitioners from the building industry and planning communities to discuss and deliberate on United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Themed Sustainable Futures - Leave No One Behind, the four-day event—open from July 2 to 6, 2023—in the Danish capital platformed conversations and the presentation of new findings and sustainable, collaborative and inclusive developments in the realm of architecture.

An elaborate awards ceremony—welcomed by Connie Hedegaard Koksbang, a Danish politician, public intellectual, and a former European Commissioner for Climate Action in the European Commission—marked the end of the 2023 World Congress of Architects.

The closing ceremony also witnessed the presentation of The Copenhagen Lessons—condensed in 10 ten points—by Natalie Mossin, as well as a ceremony to pass the banner on to the city of Barcelona, announced as the UNESCO-UIA World Capital of Architecture for 2026.

STIR enlists the awards and awardees acknowledged during the ceremony, held on July 6, 2023.

UIA Triennial Prizes

“To encourage merit, recognise talent and reward achievements of international consequence, the International Union of Architects (UIA) awards prizes every three years during the UIA World Congress of Architects,” the description on the UIA website reads. The five Triennial prizes are named after past presidents of the UIA.

The winner of The Patrick Abercrombie Prize for Urban Planning and Design was announced as L’auc from France, while the Honourable Mention was accredited to 300.000Km/s from Spain. Speaking about L’auc, the jury shares, “They transform old factories into ecological quarters, think about new types of community interactions and ways of being together. Their project 'Base aérienne 217' in Brétigny-sur-Orge reinvents ruined landscapes and includes regional city development, new thinking in city planning and complex possibilities for urban design in the 21st century.”

The Auguste Perret Prize for Technology in Architecture was granted to Philip F. Yuan from China, and The Jean Tschumi Prize for Architectural Writing and Critique was apportioned to Anne Beim from Denmark and Vladimír Šlapeta from Czech Republic. The jury appreciated Yuan for his “ability to expand the boundaries of architecture by using digital technology, 3D printing and robotic construction, and who manages to keep his projects human-centred by taking into consideration local materials and working with the community.” Beim, on the other hand was cited an example of a holistic-thinking architect-academic and Šlapeta was recognised for his “outstanding contribution to teaching, deanship, through his writings, museum exhibitions, catalogues, and keynotes on the achievements of the Czech avant-garde in an international context and on contemporary European architecture.”

Xhosa Miracle Spring’, Coffee Bay, Eastern Cape, South Africa, by Zheyuan Zhao, Jiayu Sun, Yutong Sun, Haibo Sun and Fei Lian, Harbin Institute of Technology, China Image: Courtesy of UIA World Congress of Architects 2023

Winners of this award include Zheyuan Zhao, Jiayu Sun, Yutong Sun, Haibo Sun, Fei Lian (Advisor) from Harbin Institute of Technology, China, for their project ‘Xhosa Miracle Spring’ in Coffee Bay, Eastern Cape, South Africa. The second prize was awarded to Zuozheng Shi, Han Cui, Biao Chen, Xiaohui Guo, Wen Ouyang (Advisor), Tingwan Huang (Advisor), from Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, China, for ‘Community Patches – Warm Around, Life Around’, and the third prize was accorded to Byeongsoo Kim, Kyeonghyeon Park, from Kwangwoon University, South Korea, for ‘Meet Me at S.M.L. !’. The fourth prize was announced as Sidoine Baudrel Nde Keulek, Steve Wilson Ntakam Tonguembo, Lizette Marlaine Tsafack Donfack, Emy Sandrine Masso, from National Advanced School of Public Works, Cameroon, for ‘Sustainable Survivor’s Village’ and the fifth prize goes to Meng Chen, Nan Jiang, Fujia Lyu, Yutong Li, Hsin-Hsien Chiu (Advisor), from Harbin Institute of Technology, China, for ‘Forest Rehabilitation Villa’.