International Union of Architects

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The International Union of Architects (Union internationale des Architectes, or UIA) is an international non-governmental organization that represents over a million architects in 113 countries. It is recognized by most United Nations agencies as the only association in its field, including UNESCO, UNCHS, ESOSOC, UNIDO, and the World Health Organization, as well as the WTO.

The UIA was founded in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1948. The General Secretariat is located in Paris. The current president is Gaétan Siew.

[edit] Prizes

The UIA awards four prizes annually:

Auguste Perret Prize, for technology applied to architecture
Sir Patrick Abercrombie Prize, for town-planning or territorial development
Jean Tschumi Prize, for architectural criticism or architectural education
Sir Robert Matthew Prize, for improvement in the quality of human settlements.

[edit] International competitions

The organization also manages international competitions for some of the most important spaces of our age, as well as attempts to improve human habitats through architecture and technology. The UIA managed international competitions resulting in the construction of: