The Bienal Iberoamericana de Arquitectura y Urbanismo, internationally recognized as BIAU, is preparing for its fourteenth edition, bringing together leading architects, urban planners, critics, and researchers from across Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula. Promoted continuously by the Government of Spain through its Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda (MIVAU) since its inception in 1998, the biennial has firmly established itself as one of the most prestigious international platforms for recognizing, awarding, and disseminating high-quality architectural works. By rotating its host city every two years across different cultural and geographical landscapes in the region, the event consistently captures the evolving diversity, regional challenges, and unique design languages inherent to Ibero-American built environments.
Following its thirteenth edition, which was successfully hosted in Lima, Peru, in 2024 under the overarching theme "CLIMAS: Actions for Good Living," the architectural community now turns its focus to Brasília. The XIV BIAU is scheduled to take place from November 3 to 6, 2026, centering its intellectual and creative explorations around the compelling theme "Cuidar la Vida," or "Caring for Life." This year’s curatorial framework deliberately structures its critical reflections around four fundamental pillars: water, vegetation, housing, and communities. Through this lens, the biennial aims to examine and deeply explore the complex, multifaceted relationship between contemporary architecture and the vital environmental, social, and cultural conditions that sustain human and ecological life.
Over the course of four intensive days, the biennial will transform Brasília into a vibrant epicenter of architectural discourse, combining dynamic debates, academic lectures, large-scale exhibitions, official awards ceremonies, guided urban tours, and rich cultural and musical activities distributed across some of the city’s most iconic and representative architectural venues.
The strategic choice of Brasília as the host city carries immense symbolic and practical weight, particularly at a time when global and regional discussions are increasingly consumed by the tense intersections between rapid urban growth, large-scale territorial transformation, and declining living conditions. Founded in 1960 as a radical, visionary bet on forging a brand-new capital in the heart of Brazil’s interior, Brasília originally materialized as a bold embodiment of the future, modernist optimism, and sweeping social transformation. Viewed from the vantage point of today, the BIAU proposes a critical, nuanced, and deeply reflective reading of the federal capital—one that simultaneously acknowledges its historic architectural virtues and its systemic contradictions. At the same time, the curatorial proposal highlights contemporary architectural works that demonstrate a tangible capacity to respond to society’s most pressing modern challenges, leaving a genuinely positive impact on both urban and rural environments.
The program is further enriched by specialized conversations focused on emerging territories and the profound spatial transformations redefining how populations inhabit them. These developments follow the significant announcement made by the organizers on September 22, 2026, when they officially revealed the 46 finalists for the biennial—comprising 34 outstanding entries in the Projects category and 12 in the Publications category—all meticulously chosen from an initial pool of 174 proposals selected earlier in July.
Among the 34 finalist works in the Projects category, the international jury deliberately highlighted designs that establish an active, harmonious relationship with natural systems. Rather than treating water and vegetation as passive resources subject to human control, these projects envision natural elements as essential infrastructures of the territory, capable of actively regenerating degraded landscapes and measurably improving the daily living conditions of local inhabitants.
The social dimension of architecture proved to be an equally critical benchmark for the selection committee. The chosen projects consistently stem from a careful, empathetic reading of their specific contexts and the actual needs of local residents. They skillfully incorporate community participation, cultural preservation, educational initiatives, and local economic opportunities directly into the architectural and urban design process. In the realm of housing, the finalist proposals look far beyond the isolated confines of the individual dwelling to address the broader scale of the street, the immediate neighborhood, and the wider urban landscape. These schemes consistently prioritize communal coexistence, climate-conscious design strategies, and simple, readily available construction resources that remain entirely faithful to their surrounding contexts.
In the Publications category, the jury noted the extraordinary richness, intellectual rigor, and thematic diversity of an editorial output that places architectural research directly at the center of contemporary global debates. The finalist publications approach the concept of dwelling as a fundamental mechanism for caring for life, exploring critical subjects such as education, territorial management, the stewardship of natural resources, community resilience, mass housing, and persistent urban inequality. In doing so, these works underscore the inherent social and political dimensions of architecture and urbanism.
The jury placed special value on academic and critical research that takes concrete, ground-level realities as its starting point to pose broader, more probing questions, successfully combining rigorous fieldwork, sharp critical analysis, and deep design knowledge. Furthermore, this selection honors publishing and education as vital forms of active intervention that successfully preserve collective memory, provoke meaningful public debate, and encourage rigorous critical thinking among professionals and the public alike.
The extensive roster of activities for the XIV BIAU will unfold across some of Brasília’s most celebrated architectural landmarks, including the Teatro Nacional Cláudio Santoro, SESI Lab, the Universidade de Brasília (UnB), Cine Brasília, and Index SCS.
The official program opens on Tuesday, November 3, beginning with delegate accreditation at Index SCS. This will be immediately followed by the official opening ceremony at the prestigious Teatro Nacional, the presentation of the prestigious Premios de Trayectoria (Lifetime Achievement Awards) honoring the exceptional careers of Gonçalo Byrne, Erminia Maricato, and Frederick Cooper Llosa, the grand opening of the central exhibition in the theater’s expansive lobby, and a celebratory opening concert performed by the Brasília Symphony Orchestra.
On Wednesday, November 4, following an early morning architectural tour departing from Index SCS, the academic program swings into high gear. Four dedicated debates focusing on the core themes of water, vegetation, housing, and communities will run in parallel blocks across venues at SESI Lab and the Universidade de Brasília, guided by prominent figures including Loreta Castro, Marcelo Rosenbaum, and Inês Lobo. The afternoon schedule features an intimate Open Conversation with Gonçalo Byrne hosted at the Embassy of Portugal.
Thursday, November 5, commences with another guided morning tour departing from Index SCS, transitioning into a specialized documentary screening at Cine Brasília. This screening will serve as a launchpad for a wide-ranging debate centered on new territories and the environmental, social, and cultural transformations that are actively redefining the relationships between architecture, landscape, and society. Paraguayan architect Solano Benítez will coordinate this session alongside fellow experts Angelo Bucci, Fernando Pérez Oyarzún, and Fredi Casco. The day’s official proceedings will conclude with a lively public celebration and party hosted at SESI Lab, featuring a live performance by renowned Brazilian singer Ellen Oléria.
The final day of the biennial, Friday, November 6, will take place at the Teatro Nacional. The packed itinerary features a comprehensive presentation by the curatorial team, keynote lectures delivered by Inês Lobo and Solano Benítez, a second block of discussions featuring Loreta Castro, Al Borde, and Rosenbaum, and an afternoon debate convening internationally renowned architects to reflect on the future trajectory of the discipline. The event will culminate with the highly anticipated announcement and presentation of the Premios de Obras y Publicaciones, celebrating the very best built projects and publications of the cycle.
The XIV BIAU is formally convened by Spain’s Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda (MIVAU), working in close collaboration with the Consejo Superior de los Colegios de Arquitectos de España (CSCAE) and the Fundación Arquia. Since its founding in 1998, numerous institutional partners across Ibero-America have contributed to its sustained success, transforming the biennial after thirteen previous editions into an indispensable international reference for evaluating the current state, trajectory, and future challenges of architecture and urbanism in the region.
The distinguished curatorial team behind this edition comprises Nuno Sampaio, executive director of Casa da Arquitectura in Portugal; Carlos Quintáns Eiras, architect, editor, and curator of the Golden Lion-winning Pavilion Unfinished at the 2016 Venice Biennale; Fernando Serapião, editor and critic; Matheus Seco Ferreira and Daniel Mangabeira da Vinha, founding partners of BLOCO Arquitetos; and Luciana Saboia, professor at the Universidade de Brasília.
